


Ubi Concordia, Ibi Victoria

by ItsASign



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band), UP10TION
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Mutants, Chan-centric, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dino-centric, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Loves Chan, Family, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutant Powers, Past Abuse, Seventeen Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-05-31 12:49:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 37,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6470557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsASign/pseuds/ItsASign
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Where there is unity, there is victory."</p><p>Lee Chan wasn't safe where he was. So he ran and ran straight into a group of boys who claim to be just like him.</p><p>They hide secrets from him, but his secret is bigger and it can either save or destroy the world.</p><p>—</p><p>In a world where mutants are at war with the world and at war with each other, what can one boy do?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Chan! Get your ass down 'ere!"

The harsh, foul sound of his father's voice reached Chan's ears and he winced, massaging his ear. Getting up from his uncomfortable position on the floor, he bent his body backwards and let out a satisfied sigh as a resounding crack echoed through his bedroom. As he walked out his bedroom door on the creaky floorboards, he rolled his tense muscles. He must remind himself not to sit on the floor like a human pretzel again.

Setting his gaze forward determinedly, he made his way across the creaky floorboards and set his bare feet onto the upstairs landing. The wood was cold and he curled his toes inward, shivering. Voices drifted from downstairs to his ears and he tried to listen, but in vain.

The voice yelled up to him again. "Chan, get down 'ere now!"

Hesitantly, he placed one foot on the step and continued to make his way downstairs, his bottom lip snagged between his teeth. A little part of him wanted to run and hide, but there was nowhere to go. Not yet anyway.

As he reached the kitchen, he was met with the livid face of his father, who was smiling but gritting his teeth like a crocodile. Behind him were two men wearing business suits, their eyes looking at him like they were seeing him through a microscope. Inquisitive. Menacing.

"You were looking for me, Dad?" He asked, his voice kept at a moderate volume and without a trace of annoyance.

His father licked his dry lips and opened his mouth to speak, "yes, Chan. These men 'ere are interested in your powers." He motioned to the men behind him, who both bowed respectfully, eyes still locked on him.

Chan shuddered. Their cold, soulless eyes bore into his very being and it terrified him. They could not be anywhere near good news. Rather than meeting their eyes, his eyes looked to the floor.

"Lee Chan, is it?" One of the men spoke and continued after a nod from Chan. "We are very much interested in the fact that you are... unique, shall we say? We'd love it if you came here tomorrow and met with us." 

Chan was handed a card, and he took it robotically, under the steady gaze of his father. He cast his eyes over the small print.

"Mutant Research Centre...," his voice trailed off.

Taking his silence to mean awe, the man said, "we'll see you there." Bowing, he put on his hat and together the two of them walked out the front door, accompanied by his father.

As soon as they were gone, Chan gripped the banister for support, his legs like jelly beneath him. His free hand gripped on tightly to the card, crumpling it reflexively. Although his heart had been racing throughout the whole meeting, only now could he lower his barrier.

He would never admit to himself that his father's presence set him on edge. Not to mention the other two, who had bore right into his very soul.

Just as he was about to go upstairs, he heard voices outside. Bits and pieces, mere fragments of the conversation reached his ears. He raised his head and moved his head closer to the door.

"...won't hurt...get rid...mutant scum...pay well..." Chan may have been an innocent individual, but he most definitely was not stupid. Enough of the conversation had reached his ears for him to comprehend the general gist of it.

Before he could run and hide, like he had originally wanted to, he heard a car motor start and the sound of his father entering. Letting go of the banister reluctantly, he stood up straight, muscles aching at the stiffness.

"Better not mess this up for me, boy," his father spoke, getting gradually closer, his shadow drawing nearer, "they're paying me good money for you. Go to bed."

Ignoring the gnawing in his stomach, which only reminded him of the fact that he hadn't eaten since that morning, Chan bowed and turned to make his way downstairs. Just as he was about to do so, he felt a force pull him back and a large hand give him a clout on his sore ear.

"I mean it," his father hissed into his ear, "don't mess up. I want to 'ear it."

"I w-won't destroy this chance for you father," Chan spoke, cursing at the weakness in his voice. The throbbing in his head started up again and he could feel liquid seep from his ear. And it hurt. A whole lot.

He was shoved towards the stairs and whilst bowing and apologising breathlessly, he hurried upstairs to the bathroom. 

Wincing at the blood-red liquid oozing out of his ear, he dabbed at it delicately with his fingertips and grabbed some toilet paper to stuff into it. Casting once glance at the card in his hand, he shoved it into his back pocket and proceeded to wash his hands.

Once safe in his room, he locked the door and sank to the carpeted floor, arms wrapped around his knees. 

He wasn't exactly sure when it all began. However, he knew just what had occurred for him to be treated so harshly by his own father. Although it was he who had caused the event to occur, he was one of them. One of the unnatural of this world he lived in.

Scientists were not quite sure when it all began. At first there were only a few known cases amongst teenagers around the age of 16 or 17. It started off as only a small amount, but soon it became a worldwide phenomenon occurring amongst older teens. Their X-genes mutated and they soon became almost like a disease.

That is not to say that everyone began to have mutant abilities. It was the unlucky ones who managed to obtain them. The world leaders joined together and decided not to start a war against the unfortunates, but soon they overruled it as some teenagers, driven by rage and grief because of their powers, began to kill people. He had only been 10 at the time, knowing nothing of his future.

It all changed. Soon they were shunned and feared, not given any sort of chance. Some were left alone, others were sold by their parents to various people, either for work or research. And now, Chan realised, he was one of them.

When he reached the age of 13, something felt different. It didn't come all at once; rather it came slowly until it was too late. He thought nothing of it until, when he was being chased by bullies, they couldn't touch him. With his hands in a defending stance to protect himself, he felt a slight pressure, but that was all. Opening his eyes, he was met with the shocked faces of his bullies, who were unable to get past.

That day he came home crying. Crying because he was frightened, because he knew now that everyone would treat him differently. And because he was only 13, which was not the age it came at all.

His mother managed to get the truth out of him, but did not seem shocked when she coaxed it out of him amid sobs. In fact, she kissed him on the forehead, wiped away his tears and said something, to this day he has not forgotten.

"I always knew you were special, Chan. Now you are even more so. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, not even your father." She looked over to the office door where his father worked and let out a sad sigh. "Especially your father."

Sinking his head between his legs, Chan almost felt like crying like he did, a very long time ago. If only he had known that it would be one of the last intimate times with his mother.

If only someone had told him that he was far more special than his mother thought he was.

His heart was still racing and occasionally he felt a heat rush through his body as he shuddered. It wasn't particularly warm in his room. There was, however, the nagging feeling that all was not right with his body. Pushing it aside, he tried to calm his thumping heart and think on his plan of action.

He knew he was not safe here. He also knew that he needed to leave as soon as his father went to bed, which was 9:32 to be exact. It took him 10 minutes to fall asleep as the bed next door ceased its creaking then. After that he could leave. Yes, today would be the day he left this hellhole.

Raising his head, a bit of light was let into his dark caramel eyes, which searched the room for ideas on what to bring. 

After standing up and shaking out his cramped legs, Chan opened his wardrobe door. There were hardly any items of great need or use, although he would most likely need the raincoat for emergencies. After removing said coat from the hook, he laid it on his bed and looked around. 

It seemed he would be traveling light.

Waiting, at least so far, has been the hardest part. He had amused himself by looking out the window and watching people as they did what they always did. There was that older man, with salt and pepper hair, who waited for his son to come home by the bus stop. That young woman who seemed to get more grey and tired as the days went on. These semblances of normality and human life had been his whole life since his father had taken him out of school.

Soon the day grew dark and Chan waited patiently for his father to go upstairs. The familiar tread was soon heard, his door slammed shut and yet, he continued to wait until he was almost certain his father was asleep.

After a few minutes more of complete silence, he picked up his rucksack, worn and almost threadbare which contained his coat and a small bag of lozenges and headed towards his window. The way his house was built meant that his window rested on a roof. Slowly easing his window open, he eased himself out, bag slung over his shoulder.

The night air was crispy and cold, but refreshing to his lungs, which had not experienced air like this in a long time. Of course he had stuck his head out the window a few times, but his father had forbade him to step outside. Out of sight and out of mind from everyone and the Anti-Mutant League.

The stars twinkled and Chan looked up at them, his eyes bright. Walking slowly on the roof slates, he peered down at the ground below him. 

Focusing his eyes on the ground, he directed his hands towards the area around him. Closing his eyes, he felt a hum of energy emerge from his hands and he began to concentrate on latching onto it. Compared to the time he had done it immediately with the bullies, this time around he needed complete concentration.

Sometimes it was easy, other times it was almost as hard as trying to learn the Periodic Table for Chemistry.

There was a repeating pattern and he was almost certain about how his force-field power worked. It seemed as if it worked better when there was impending danger, the rush of adrenaline almost speeding it up in some kind of way.

Right now, he must make-do with the current situation. Although the fact that it took a while meant that there was no danger. At that thought he let out a sigh of relief. As he formed the barrier around his body, he felt some of his energy drain away which almost affected his current progress. 

He tottered slightly, but his mind remained directed on the energy emerging from his hands. Once he was sure it was time, the thrum grew louder and he pushed his palms forward. The palpable electricity in his palms disappeared.

Opening his eyes, he adjusted his eyes to the somewhat brighter outside world and looked around. There, almost invisible to someone who would only be glancing briefly, was a circular stretch of crackling orange energy. It covered him completely like a large bubble and his mouth curved upwards into a tiny smile. That wasn't so bad.

Adjusting his rucksack, he took a deep breath and jumped. The air did not whistle past his ears, for the bubble of energy was not affected by such as wind and weather. As the ground came up to meet him, he closed his eyes instinctively.

He landed, but felt no pain, the circular energy around him protecting him from such damage. He did, however, feel a slight sensation of discomfort, but that was nothing new.

Swiping a hand, the force field disappeared. He looked around and found not a body in sight and as he looked back at the place he used to know as home, an ache filled his heart. He never knew it would come to this. Once upon a time, it had been a wonderful place to live. 

On the thought of what would happen tomorrow, he shuddered. His father would be furious and the scientists would probably try to find him. But he wouldn't go back to that world. With that, he took one last look and shouldered his bag comfortably. 

He didn't know where he was going, but he sure knew where he wasn't.

—

As his house was on the outskirts of the city of Seoul, he headed towards Seoul, for he was less likely to be discovered there. The more people the better.

Chan had been walking for a bit, if the lack of people walking about meant anything. Of course there were people around the clubs and restaurants, even the red light districts, which he avoided at all costs.

When he reached the less empty side of the city, there were many suspicious characters, some of whom were blatantly displaying their powers. How they could do it out in the open was beyond Chan.

It must have been 4 in the morning and Chan was beginning to feel the effects of no sleep. His steps were slow and languid and every now and then his vision blurred. His stomach growled once in a while, reminding him of the long time he had not had food.

Before he could react, he saw a boy running speedily in his direction and bump into him. He felt himself fall, but was caught by the same boy that bumped into him.

"Are you okay?" The boy asked, and Chan was surprised to find it deeper than he expected, at least coming from a baby-faced youth.

Chan nodded hurriedly and the boy sighed a sigh of relief. He made sure he was standing on his two feet and looked back, cursing under his breath. Unsure, Chan looked too.

There, in front of his very eyes were two tigers. But they weren't just normal tigers, no. Their eyes blazed with a fire and they seemed larger than the ones he remembered seeing in the zoo. Chasers. Genetically modified animals created to destroy troublesome mutants.

Gasping, he grabbed onto the boy, who looked at him with a confused expression. Chan tried his best not to let the inner panic set in and slowly let go, eyes never leaving the creatures before him. The fabric beneath his fingers was soft, almost like cotton and he marvelled at its warmth.

"Look kid, I can run really fast, but I can't take you with me. Fuck, where's Jihoon when you need him!" The boy looked frantically around and his furrowed brow only deepened. "Shit, we're surrounded." He ruffled his hair wildly and looked just about ready to lose his mind.

Before either of them could react, one of the creatures leapt and soon they were all coming towards them. From news articles and clips, Chan knew that these animals were as tough as nails and adapted themselves to various powers. How, he did not know.

One of the enormous creatures leapt for the boy and instinctively, Chan reached for him and shoved him out of the way. Soon they were everywhere, and Chan, not accustomed to using his powers in front of others, didn't know what to do.

It was quite apparent that the other boy had sonic speed or something of the like, as he successfully dodged every last one and weaved past them all, throwing a few punches here and there. Lee Chan was certain that soon, the animals would grow wise to his capabilities. Meanwhile, he was facing his own dilemma.

One of the tigers eyed him, eyes glinting scarily and headed towards him, the constant pattern of its moving legs giving a feeling of imminent death. He flung his rucksack from his back which distracted them for a brief moment as they tore it to shreds.

He placed his hands out in front of him, afraid and quivering as he tried to focus. But it wouldn't work. The animal's heavy breathing mixed with a scent of dead meat, caused him to lose his concentration. Just when he was sure he was going to die, he heard a gutteral yell and saw a blur as the boy ran to his defence.

He never felt so useless and unworthy in all his life as he watched the other boy fight the beast. He locked his gaze and willed for them to disappear, but of course they did not. He stood to the side, biting his lips and wincing when flesh met fur. Suddenly, the beast got the better if him and with one flick of its tail landed the boy to the ground, where he lay still.

Fearing for the boy's life rather than his own, Chan ran towards the boy and turned him over. Patting his cold cheeks lightly, he turned his gaze to the ferocious beasts and squeezed his eyes shut, splaying his hands out on either sides.

He had to do it right like he had before. Even if he was about ready to drop from tiredness, he had to save this boy he barely knew and who had helped him. And so, as he felt the power surge through his body and felt it grow from his hands, he pushed them forcefully out further.

He was almost afraid to open his eyes, afraid to see whether or not they were potentially dead. The animals looked surprised. Their best efforts were in vain as they tried to comprehend what was going on. A bubble, crackling and pulsing met Chan's eyes, almost like an old friend, reassuring.

With his hands still stretched out, he could not react when the boy started to awaken. His brows furrowed familiarly and he looked over at Chan, uncertainty clearly evident in his eyes. They widened when they met with the orange bubble surrounding them.

"Are you all right?" Chan spoke quietly, his eyes watching the creatures warily as they seemed to grow smarter to his powers. "You landed pretty hard."

"I'm fine, but you... I had no idea you were like me," the boy chuckled, winching when he felt a headache coming on. Grabbing for the device on his belt, he spoke, "Jeonghan, tell Jihoon that I'll probably die if he doesn't show up with backup. I picked up four of those big cats and a kid named..."

As he trailed off he looked expectantly at Chan who spoke quietly. "Chan. It's Lee Chan."

"Lee Chan," lowering the device he spoke, "my name's Hansol."

Sitting up with some effort, Hansol weakly watched Chan as the large tigers began to paw and throw themselves against the barrier. They obviously knew what to do. That soon Chan would grow weak after each blow administered.

Lee Chan had always prided himself in being able to take pain and stay stronger than most people he knew. However, he had never been prepared for large bodies such as these trying to break down the walls.

He winced after each blow, his body aching and he could feel his strength slowly slipping away. It took all he had not to lower it, but after looking at the boy beside him, his resolve strengthened. Now he had someone who would die if he didn't keep the barrier up. He had someone other than himself to save.

His vision blurred and he could feel the ear that had been bleeding earlier bleed once again. He hung his head and he could hear someone speaking to him, but it was too muffled for him to hear. As their blows grew stronger, Chan could feel the cuts and bruises he had received from his father three days ago begin to ache and reopen.

Unbeknownst to him, help was on the way, but Hansol grew worried as he saw the new boy begin to grow weaker and weaker. He tried to tell him that it was okay to lower the barriers if it was hurting so much, but he did not hear him.

Chan was in his own little world, one where someone's life lay in his hands and he was completely responsible for his safety.

Soon he felt the blows getting less and less until he felt nothing at all attempting to get in. He felt his shoulders get shaken roughly and he heard the faint sound of reassurance. Looking up, he saw the tigers lying on the ground and other boys standing outside trying to communicate with them, but no sound going through.

Lowering his hands, he collapsed onto the ground and closed his eyes. The earth below him was cool compared to his overheated body and he sighed a little. It was nice here on the cool earth.

There was a cacophony of noise that greeted his good ear and he felt himself being shaken, only a lot rougher this time.

"Kid, come on, open your eyes!" The voice, though harsh, was urgent and commanding and Chan opened his eyes weakly, meeting with a blurry image of another boy. "That's it. Do not close those eyes until I tell you to."

Chan felt weak and drained, for it had taken a lot out of him to keep it up. He groaned quietly, his head pounding and his whole body hurting from various wounds. All he wanted to do was shut his eyes, but he knew that for his own good, it would be better if he didn't.

"Hansol, tell Seokmin to get over here," the authoritative voice spoke again, holding Chan's hand which was soft and cold, "this kid needs to be moved to our territory." 

Everything was hazy, and Chan could barely tell what was going on anymore. He knew that he was tired and that his eyes kept drooping, only to be jolted awake when a hand would roughly pat his cheek.

"Seokmin, for someone who has such a quick power, you took a while," the rumbling voice spoke, a tone of urgency in his voice. "Just take this kid to our territory, area one." And with that, the large hand let go of his.

Chan tried to grasp for it, only to miss and grew afraid when he felt other hands grab him and hoist him up. With every last bit of energy he had, he thrashed and tried to find someplace to kick hard. His hand came in contact with skin and he hit it with all his might. His breath came out in gasps and soon he felt himself being dropped to earth, a curse thrown.

"What the hell! I'm trying to help," the voice spoke, angry and loud above Chan. "Ungrateful brat."

Curling himself up into a ball, he tried to even out his breathing, failing almost immediately. He was scared, cold and all he wanted was for the large, warm hands full of reassurances, to come back.

"Stand back everyone, I can handle this," a soft, boyish voice, dripping with honey and kindness, spoke.

The voice was not harsh like the others Chan had heard and it was comforting. The boy approached slowly, hands gentle as he plied Chan's hands from his face. Looking up at the blurred lights above, he felt long fingers comb his hair out of his sweaty face and another lay a hand on his shoulder. 

The touches were comforting, and Chan could feel his ragged breaths even out until they were back to normal.

"It's okay, we're not leaving you," the voice was like a soothing lullaby, lulling his eyes shut.

He felt himself being shaken and heard urgent voices. He was so tired and his body ached, so he welcomed the darkness that took over his vision. His body grew limp, and his last thought was of the boy with the gentle voice.

—

He could hear everything, but his eyelids, like lead weights, refused to budge. He most definitely was lying down on something soft. Far softer than the bed he was used to sleeping on at home, he felt his head lying on what seemed to be a cloud. 

It was warm, but not too much so. He relished in the unfamiliar warmth and he tried to open his eyes, but they would not open. A dull pain radiated through his whole body and his left ear rang painfully. All he wanted to do was to rub it and hope for it to go away. He wondered if Hansol was all right. Whether he was still alive.

The air around him smelled like fresh laundry detergent, almost like lilacs and it relaxed him wholly.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a key turning in a lock and a the sound of a number of people entering.

"You'd think he'd have woken up by now." There was the sound of agreement all around and a palm brushed over his forehead gently.

"But Seungcheol said he was at least a 6 on the scale. That is almost as bad as the time Joshua got crushed by that metal beam," another voice spoke, quiet and almost hesitant in the way he spoke.

Another grunted and huffed. "At least then Himchan had been there, so he was guaranteed to be fine anyway. B.A.P are now in America and I have no idea if there is another mutant like him." This voice growled and Chan felt himself shudder, almost like a cold wind has passed over him.

"Oh, he moved!" A voice yelled, and he felt a person sit by him, the bed sinking slightly. There was a flurry of noise and he winced as his ear throbbed painfully.

A hand grabbed his, and although the sudden touch was rushed, the hands were soft and the scent of ginger hit his senses.. But they were not the gentle hands he remembered before he passed out. That thought alone set him on edge.

"His hands are so cold. It is like he is dead." The unsure speaker spoke again, this time his voice almost too low to catch what he had said.

Another set of feet entered the room and immediately the atmosphere shifted. Where there had once been a feeling of uncertainty and tension, there was now a calming feeling, almost like someone had waved their hand over everyone and caused them to still.

"What did I tell you about coming in here?"

There it was. The familiar, soothing voice of that boy who had comforted him and told him that everything would be okay. The one person he felt safe around. And it was so idiotic because he didn't even know his name or anything about him.

"But he's been asleep or whatever for 2 days! We just wanted to see if he was okay," a voice whined, high-pitched and loud, cutting through the silence. 

"I know Seungkwan and that's very nice of you to think like that, but the poor boy has been through a lot, and quite frankly, seeing all of you would probably terrify him." There was a tone of conviction in the boy's tone and there was the sound of reluctant footsteps and various pleas until there was silence once again.

He felt the area shift around him and he could feel those spindly fingers gently removing the hair that covered his face. A hand caressed his face, brushing the long locks away from his cheeks. Sooner or later, he would be in dire need of a haircut.

The effect was soporific, but for one last time, Chan tried to open his eyes. They did not seem as heavy as they used to be and he squinted as light entered the dark blanket of his vision. The ceiling above him was a warm blue, not too dark, nor too light. It was the pure, cerulean blue he had only seen in paintings of old.

He groaned and attempted to sit up, but was soon pushed gently, but firmly down onto the mattress. Turning his head slightly, he was met with the boy whom he had depended on earlier.

"I see you have awoken," the boy spoke, his mouth turning up into a smile, eyes creasing into small crescent moons. "We were getting worried about you."

Chan nodded and attempted to speak, but his throat was dry and parched, not having been used in a while. He coughed in an attempt to clear his throat but moaned in pain as his ear throbbed in the process. Before he could take a hold of it and massage it, another hand was placed on top of it and a straw was placed against his parched lips.

"Just drink," the boy spoke again and Dino inclined his head, sipping the cool water, his eyes never leaving the boy's face.

Once Chan was done, he spoke softly, "is-is Hansol all right?" At that thought he sat up.

He had to find out if Hansol was all right, he had risked his life for him as he had stood there like a mindless idiot. If he wasn't at all fine, it would be all his fault and he would never be able to forgive himself. Placing his feet on the ground, he tottered and grasped onto the nearest piece of furniture, which was a wardrobe.

"He's fine," the boy walked towards him, hand outstretched, "so calm down and go back to bed. You've had quite a beating." His voice was soothing and there were no lies hidden in those words, but Chan wanted to see for himself.

Leaning hard onto the wardrobe Chan shook his head. "P-Please, I have to see." He hands curled around the wooden handle of the wardrobe and he looked pleadingly at the boy.

The boy seemed to give in and he motioned for Chan to follow him, who did so, legs almost giving out beneath him. Seeing he had difficulty, the boy placed an arm around his waist and placed Chan's arm around his neck. With such close proximity, Chan felt his face heat up and looked down ashamedly.

As they made their way down a set of stairs, they were met by two boys, one of whom looked vaguely familiar.

"This is Jeonghan our resident angel," the boy motioned to the one with slightly longer hair, "and this is Seungkwan."

Seungkwan, who was a boy with an almost immaculate haircut, looked haughtily at the boy. "Joshua, how come I didn't get a title? Even 'resident cutie' would be better than nothing." He glanced at Chan and smiled, showing a megawatt smile. "Hi, glad to seen you're all right!"

Chan smiled and bowed, "thank you, I'm much better." He spoke formally and tried not to wince as he bent his torso.

So the boy's name was Joshua? Chan could not help but inwardly grin at the name, it had a musical quality to it and he could not help but think that it suited him well. At least now he could put a name to the face.

"Would you mind telling Seungcheol that he is awake and to come to the den as soon as possible, Seungkwan?" Joshua spoke, his voice calm, but it had a tinge of authority that could not be disobeyed.

Immediately nodding, Seungkwan left with Jeonghan, who had not spoken a word, but had stared at him, his brows furrowed. He even looked back at him, eyes confused. He reminded Chan of someone, but he could not for the life of him remember who.

"Okay, let's go!" Joshua spoke cheerfully, his arm doubling the grip around his waist and slowly began to help him down the seemingly endless set of stairs. 

Chan could only follow in a daze, his legs tripping over each other and oftentimes collapsing beneath him. His whole body ached and he just wanted to take a break halfway, but he continued because it was the least he could do for the people who had helped him. And it would make Joshua's life easier.

It wasn't that the stairs were winding, no, but they were of the kind that were open, leaving gaps between each step. He made sure not to get his legs stuck as they dragged behind him. He could hear Joshua reassuring him and speaking words of encouragement, but they were faint, for his sore ear did not seem to be functioning correctly.

Once they reached the bottom of the steps, Chan let out an audible sigh of relief and leaned more on Joshua who let out a breathy laugh. "I've been going up and down these stairs for such a long time and I'm still not used to them. You'll get used to it, if you get to stay that is."

The thought of not being able to remain there had not crossed Chan's mind; he was of positive disposition and now he could feel his small fragmented dream fall in pieces around him. He faltered and grasped tightly onto Joshua's shirt. Inhaling the strange, yet homely scent surrounding him, he tried to take calm breaths.

"I'm not certain if I can walk anymore, but if it's too much bother I think I could managed to make it, not that I wouldn't make it but-" His muffled words were abruptly interrupted when Joshua did something unexpected.

Joshua uttered no words. All he did was place a hand underneath his knees and tighten the grip around his waist. Soon Chan found himself being carried bridal style down the poorly lit corridor. Trying to make the job easier for Joshua, Chan brought his other arm to his shoulder and lay his head on his chest.

His head felt comfortable on the voluptuous sweater that Joshua was wearing. It was a soft, cashmere texture and he pushed his head a little closer, the softness feeling nice against his confused head.

Joshua smiled softly. Although this boy was undoubtedly shy and hesitant in all he did, he did this all because he felt it would make his life easier. He was almost inclined to pat the tousled locks on his head, but he did not do so. He could feel his heart beating quickly, showing he was not at complete ease.

As they walked towards a brightly lit room, Chan heard voices reverberating through his head. The room they entered had all manner of things, bean bags, large pillows (which he swore were bigger than a normal human being), various couches and armchairs. There was one large screen on the wall and a window, but with a screen placed before it.

There were four boys present, two who were in the middle of what seemed to be a Mario Kart duel. They both sat crossed legged and every now and then would shove the other and hope they would crash their vehicle. It seemed like a lot of fun, although Chan could well imagine it with a little less... violence. But neither of them were Hansol.

Looking over at the other two, he spotted the recognisable haircut and almost bolted over if he were not otherwise occupied.

"See, there's Hansol. I told you he was all right, though you most likely wanted to see for yourself," Joshua spoke and proceeded to head towards the two boys. Chan thought it strange at how well Joshua seemed to understand his feelings.

Raising his head from the conversation he was having with a boy who had an endless amount of blonde locks all over his head, Hansol looked up to see Joshua with the boy he knew as Lee Chan. Seeing him better now, he looked far smaller than what he had previously thought.

Maybe it was the fact that it had been nighttime. Or maybe it was the idea that he was his rescuer that made him seem far larger and taller than he actually was. His head lay on Joshua's chest, his arms wrapped tightly around his neck. 

The fact that such a small body had held up against the four Chasers was truly astounding and Hansol was almost beginning to doubt that any of it had occurred. He couldn't imagine Sammy holding up against that many, then again, Sammy didn't exactly have the power that Chan possessed.

Once Chan was close to where Hansol was sitting, he let go of Joshua and planted his feet on the floor. Despite the fact that it hurt to walk or move, he hurriedly ran over to Hansol. He was about to hug him when he realised that he barely knew him and would probably think it weird if he actually hugged him.

He paused, looking down at his bare feet and fiddled with his fingers. Count on him to almost do something weird and cringe-worthy. 

Hansol, however, stood up and positioned himself in front of him. Chan was brought to reality when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his body. 

"I'm so happy to see that you are all right. You were asleep for 2 days and we were considering taking you to hospital," Hansol spoke, ruffling his hair softly and Chan wrapped his arms around him too. Hansol then seemed to remember something and jolted, separating from him unexpectedly.

The other two boys who were playing games on the big screen, ceased their banter and turned to greet Chan, their smiles friendly and inviting.

"I'm Mingyu and this is Wonwoo," the taller of the two motioned to then other who was silent and held out his hand, which Chan took carefully.

Mingyu had a bright look on his face, his smile almost infectious. Wonwoo had a smile, but it was smaller and although it was not as wide, Chan did not doubt he was any less happy to see him. But his eyes were dark, as if he could see right through him and know his very thoughts.

"If Seungcheol accepts you, we'll get along well."

Chan quickly withdrew his hand and took a step back, his heart racing. The anxiety he once felt whenever his father drew near hit him like a bullet. He gasped, holding his hand to his chest which began to tighten. Looking around him wildly, he saw the five boys present in the room staring at him, slightly taken-aback.

Heading towards the first couch he could see, he shakily sat down, his body tense as he tried to ride it out. Soon he found the boy with curly hair and Joshua next to him. Joshua looked hesitant as he took his hand and rubbed a thumb over the back of his hand. The other boy looked at him hesitantly until Joshua urged him with his head.

"Lee Chan, I am Minghao. Look at me," he spoke as Chan could feel himself running out of air, his mouth dry and chapped as he searched for some much needed oxygen.

Almost like a spell, Chan looked at Minghao and followed his example as he began to breath in and out. "In, out and... in and out. Follow my example. That is it." Minghao spoke softly, running a hand through his hair.

It did not take long until Chan had his breathing under control and he slumped on Joshua weakly, his limbs hanging limply. He licked his dry lips and and his breath came out calmer than before. The two boys hoisted him onto the couch and he lay there, shivering. It was always the same. He would feel spent and cold after every episode.

"You think it was my fault?" Chan heard Mingyu speak, sounding upset. "Maybe I shouldn't-"

He heard a deep rumbling voice, reminiscent to Wonwoo's appearance. "I could feel the terror rolling off of his mind when I tried to go in. It would have happened sooner or later, it just so happened to occur now."

Chan rolled over and tried to ignore the fact that they were all probably staring at him. 

"Seungcheol should show up soon," Joshua said, "I told Seungkwan to tell him to come. He will probably want to question him before he makes his decision. Now I'm not so sure if he'll be able to do it with the state he's in."

He heard a sigh and then the sound of Minghao's intoxicating voice. "Maybe, he could do it the same way he did it with Samuel. I mean..." His voice trailed off into nothingness as the loud sound of footsteps approaching was heard.

A set of footsteps entered and immediately they all grew quiet. The calm atmosphere quickly transformed into a tense and yet a somewhat warm atmosphere.

"What have we here?" A loud voice rumbled and Chan sat up, his eyes meeting with the new occupant.


	2. Chapter 2

"What have we here?" A loud voice rumbled and Chan sat up, his eyes meeting with the new occupant.

—

Chan stood up shakily and bowed deeply to the new boy who had entered, trying not to scream as he felt a bandage rip apart at the action. "I'm Lee Chan and I believe that in order to stay, I have to complete some kind of test."

The boy blinked once and then started to laugh. Laugh! And uproariously at that. He bent over double and Chan could see that he was wearing a baggy jumper, but there was definitely something poking out slightly near the top of his back. Chan was confused and also slightly put-out as he watched the amused boy try and straighten himself out.

"I already know who you are and no, you have passed the first by protecting Hansol," the boy said, wiping away remnants of tears on his face. "I'm sorry, you just looked absolutely petrified. And you should be too."

Chan stood stock still. "D-Does that mean that you're allowing me to stay?" His eyes locked hopefully onto the other boy, who walked slowly towards him, a small smile playing on his lips.

"It does and you can stay," the boy was right in front of him now, his eyes gradually turning menacing and dark, "but if I find out that you're a traitor or spy, I will kill you. You better not hurt anyone in my group." He grabbed him by the collar and Chan looked down, his head moving in a motion of assent.

Letting him go, the boy smiled and clapped his hands together. "Dinner's ready! Jun told me to tell you guys that it's time to eat." And with a reassuring pat on the back for Chan, he turned around and left, the rest following suite.

"Seungcheol's a bit overbearing sometimes, but he's fine most of the time," a voice spoke and Chan wasn't surprised to find out it was Joshua, who turned to look at him. "I trust you, don't break it or do anything rash. The last guy we let in... well, just don't break my trust."

Chan was curious, but he did not ask about that. Nodding slowly, Chan placed a hand to his ear and turned his head to the side, willing the pain to disappear.

"Once Jinhoo gets back, we'll ask him to give you a check up," Joshua spoke up, his brow furrowed in what seemed to be worry as he watched him. "He's a med student right now and knows what he's doing. We used to have a healer, but he moved with his group to the States."

"Thank you," Chan spoke, his voice thoughtful, "for everything."

He followed Joshua as he left the den and wondered where they lived, or where they were situated. Then again, he was kind on trial to be here, they would get suspicious if he asked where they were. But he could not help but be curious, especially when he was pretty sure that they were all mutants like him. A group of mutants? Unheard of.

He was being led towards a very loud noise and he was pretty sure it was the kitchen or eating room. He had seen a few of the the boys, but he wasn't sure of how many of them were there in total. So when he entered he wasn't surprised when he saw eleven boys, some whom he recognised. Seungkwan was sitting down and complaining loudly to Hansol, who was rolling his eyes to Minghao.

Jeonghan was assisting another boy wearing an apron around his waist. He was probably the Jun Seungcheol had spoken of. They were both placing plates of steaming food on the table, which was of large oak, with benches on either side. Wonwoo was sitting alone, Mingyu nowhere in sight. There was an empty space near him and Chan was about to make his way over there until Joshua held him back.

"Wait. Seungcheol will tell you where to sit," he waved his hand over the table, "and I should warn you, they'll be asking you questions. Rather than interrogating you, he'll make all the guys ask you questions." He placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just answer honestly."

Seungcheol, who was sitting at the head of the table, motioned for Chan to sit between Minghao and a tall boy he didn't recognise. Looking back at Joshua, who gave him a encouraging pat on the shoulder, he walked hesitantly over and squeezed himself between the two boys.

Minghao smiled, but turned to speak to Hansol. The other boy just grunted and turned away from him. Chan could see a bruise gracing the side of his jaw and wondered how it came to be. Then again, he wasn't sure of how he looked himself, not having seen a mirror in a while.

Soon everyone was seated, or so it seemed, for Mingyu was nowhere in sight. The chair at the other end of the table held a small boy who wore a serious expression. Another boy with blonde hair was sitting next to Wonwoo, who seemed happy, which Chan thought almost impossible for the seemingly emotionless boy. 

Seungcheol coughed and everyone grew silent. He motioned to Chan, "I've decided to allow Lee Chan to stay, for now anyway. Don't be afraid to ask him any questions you have. You can start eating now!"

As soon as he was done talking, everyone began to reach for the food, which had accumulated in the centre of the table. There was the loud sound of chatter and general talk, though the clattering of utensils against cutlery was louder. Chan waited until everyone else was done with serving themselves and piled his own plate. For the amount of boys at the table, there certainly was enough food to go around.

The food looked and tasted absolutely mouthwatering and he shyly thanked Jun, who bowed to him. He had just taken a bite out of the quiche, when the boy sitting next to Wonwoo spoke to him.

"So, Chan? What were you doing out so late in the streets of Seoul?" His voice was slightly muffled due to the fact that his mouth was full of potato salad.

Chan chewed quickly and tried to answer him as honestly as possible, without telling too much. He had just met them. "I was running away from home," was his short reply and he hoped that they would let it go. 

Unfortunately, the tall boy next to him had other ideas. "Were you? Or were you snooping around for the government?" His tone was accusing and Chan whipped around to look at him, highly insulted by the accusation.

The table grew silent, and Chan could feel everyone's eyes on him, some curious, others with mild disinterest. He looked up at the tall boy, who was smirking satisfactorily as if he was a cat who had cornered a mouse. Chan was filled with trepidation and didn't know what to say.

"Can't answer?" He asked confidently, the smirk only growing larger. "So you are a spy?"

Chan was just about to open his mouth to reply, when the boy at the foot of the table spoke. "That's enough, Seokmin." His voice was dangerously calm and his small face was like stone as he spome, almost like he would begin to yell at any given moment.

Seokmin, who looked just about ready to protest, shut up when the boy sent him a glare. He returned to eating, his jaw clenched angrily as he chewed. The noise of conversation returned to the silent table, but with less volume than before.

Casting a glance towards Chan, the boy spoke, only this time with a gentler tone. "You don't have to answer them, but we will find out eventually. I'm Jihoon, by the way." 

Twisting the ring around his middle finger, Chan looked down at his lap and spoke quietly. "I ran away because my home was no longer a safe place to live." There was a cold silence and he feel the looks of pity directed at him.

Looking up at Seokmin, who had paused his eating to stare straight ahead, Chan spoke again. "I can see why you'd be suspicious of me, so I don't mind it at all. That's all I want to reveal to you right now."

Seokmin nodded, his jaw relaxed and he returned to eating, although his body still remained tense. No one asked him any more questions, which wasn't surprising. He had been asked enough for one day. But as he ate, he could sense that the others had slightly relaxed around him and Seungkwan even shared a joke with him, which was so bad that Chan couldn't help but laugh softly.

Chan couldn't remember the last time he had seen so much food and ate as much as he could, which wasn't that much. Maybe in a while, he would be able to eat more, but right now he could only consume a small amount. He could tell that Joshua was keeping track of what he ate and when Chan finished, he couldn't help but notice that Joshua sent a pointed glance to Jihoon, who shook his head vigorously, motioning for him not to say a thing.

Chan didn't know how he became so good at noticing small things like that. Maybe the nights of pressing his ear to the floor of his room, when his father brought 'colleagues' over. His father was against mutants, so much so that he was part of the Anti-Mutant League. Yet he held one hostage in his own home. 

He shuddered and realised that whilst he had been daydreaming, everyone else had finished. Seungcheol stood and everyone else did the same. Chan hastily stood up too and almost fell backwards in the process. The blonde haired boy next to Wonwoo, whom Chan knew to be Soonyoung, snickered and Chan flushed, put out by his own clumsiness.

"I'd like everyone to be in the training room in 10 minutes. Lee Chan, come with me," Seungcheol spoke, and he motioned for Chan and Jihoon to follow him outside.

Chan was imagining all sorts of things until Seungcheol gave him a reassuring smile as they walked through another door which led to a classroom of sorts. Chairs and tables littered the wooden floors, and Jihoon motioned for him to sit.

"Now," Seungcheol sat down across from him, "let's get to the point. You saved Hansol's life, so evidently there is some good in you." He peered at Chan, whose head was lowered. 

Jihoon then started to speak. "Obviously we can't trust you just yet. You will have a brief trial period; how long I don't know. There will be a few ground rules for you because you're new and we can't completely trust you yet: you are not allowed to step a foot outside and can't ask any questions when it comes to what we do for a living until we say so." 

Seungcheol then spoke hurriedly. "I hope you understand. We can't be too careful when we add someone new. Mistakes and accidents can happen and they have happened... that's in the past though." He was reluctant yet there was a deep sorrow and anger in his words.

Chan looked up to see Jihoon eyeing at him critically, his lips pursed tightly. "Any questions?"

"No. None... except, where do I sleep?" Chan asked, his large eyes turning to Seungcheol who laughed.

"For now you will sleep in the den until we find room," Seungcheol leant forward and looked ready to ruffle his hair, but he paused and decided against it. "And when it comes to a motto, we have only one. All for one and one for all."

Chan nodded and Seungcheol laughed loudly and stood up to leave. "You're a good kid. And I think it's now time for practise!" He motioned for Chan to follow him and he did so, no doubt in his mind that he could trust him with this.

—

Chan had protested at first when Seungcheol had stated that he was not permitted to practise. He soon understood when he tried to form a force field, discovering that he was much too hurt and weak from his last encounter to do anything. It also was probably because they didn't trust him and couldn't risk him using his dangerous power around them.

He sat on the side and watched curiously as some battled against each other using their powers. He had been curious about what they were capable of, although some he had already guessed. It was interesting how, in the end, they were evenly matched and it was only a question of who would break first.

There were a few whose power was of a different nature and they practised in their own little group. Minghao, he was sure had some sort of enhanced persuasive technique, referring back to when he had followed his every word. He used it to his advantage and attempted to charm them to do idiotic things. He succeeded in getting Joshua to do the chicken dance, who looked thoroughly embarrassed afterwards.

He wasn't surprised when he discovered Wonwoo has telepathic abilities, meaning that he could hear others and interact with them in their mind. His eyes seemed as if they could pierce into his very soul. Chan cringed as he thought about the things he had been thinking of recently.

With Joshua, he wasn't entirely sure of him. He had understood how he had felt at random intervals, but he was sure he was not like Wonwoo. 

After observing him for a while, he came to the conclusion that he had enhanced empathic abilities. He could sense how others felt from the atmosphere and could work for or against it. Besides understanding how people felt, he could change the atmosphere from warm, scary, cold. Whatever he felt like.

Even as he thought about it, when at the table, he could tell that that they were all exceedingly calm and amiable. Did Joshua have anything to do with that?

Joshua seemed to have caught sight of him and smiled, whilst Minghao waved wildly. Chan returned the wave and let himself relax a little.

As he observed the others, he felt his eyes grow heavy but he forced himself to stay awake until he found out what everyone was capable of. 

Seungcheol was too busy helping Jun control his out of hand ivy and flower plants for him to do much else. Chan was sure it had something to do with the bulky objects on his back beneath the sweater.

Jeonghan's hair suddenly grew longer and grabbed Seokmin around his chest tightly, but Seokmin disappeared for a split second and appeared behind Jeonghan a moment later. Prehensile hair and teleportation. Interesting.

Just as he was about to appraise the others, he heard a door slam and Mingyu entered, his face bright and smiling. Wonwoo immediately ran over to him and enveloped him a hug. Evidently he had missed him. Chan couldn't help but be curious as to where he had been all this time. Not that it was any of his business.

They were all like a large family and he so desperately wanted to be part of them. Something was holding him back; he felt he did not belong with them. He felt he did not deserve to be here. If he made the same mistakes here, they'd kick him out right away.

They soon finished up and he was just about ready to collapse from exhaustion. There was talk of a film and Chan only hoped that it was not too long. Seungkwan, who seemed to have taken a liking to him, stayed behind with Hansol, but he could not help but notice the way Seokmin looked at Seungkwan as he exited. Almost wistfully, like he wanted to say something but was too shy to say a word. 

In the den, Seungkwan patted the seat next to him but Chan declined kindly, for Mingyu had waved him over. And maybe because, Seokmin was still searching for a seat. As he turned towards Mingyu, he heard Seungkwan ask if Seokmin wanted to sit there and he couldn't help but grin silently as he heard Seokmin stumble over his words in assent.

It was getting dark outside and there was only one lamp on, letting out a golden, amber glow. Even from here he could see that there was barely any room for him on the couch. Grabbing a pillow from the floor, he placed it between Wonwoo's and Mingyu's legs on the floor and sat down.

"Are you sure you're comfortable that way?" Mingyu inquired, sounding a little worried.

Chan shook his head positively and went on to prove it by leaning back against the couch and letting out a sigh of contentment. "I'm very sure."

"You don't talk much, do you?" Wonwoo asked, his voice curious, as he cocked his head to the side.

Chan shook his head and replied, "I only say what needs to be said."

"Ssshhh you guys, the movie is about to start!" Seungkwan yelled shrilly, sending them a death glare. "I will kill anyone who speaks again!"

"Says the boy who's louder than anyone else," Mingyu quipped and Chan giggled at the truth in those words.

Wonwoo snorted and Seungkwan huffed. Either way, there was not a word out of anyone as 'Captain America' began to play.

Rather than watching a film he had seen millions of times before, Chan chose to observe everyone around him discreetly. Hansol and Joshua had flopped themselves down on a couple of bean bags, their long legs entangled. They were lying comfortably and watching the film, their eyes wide as they saw him get the flag down with his ingenuity, rather than his strength, or lack thereof.

Soonyoung and Jihoon had taken up shop on the large armchair that was large enough for two. Soonyoung was supporting his head with his hand, the other hand playing with Jihoon's caramel locks as he rested his head on his chest comfortably. Looking at that, Chan had a hard time believing that Jihoon was Seungcheol's right hand man. More like a gruff and fluffy teddy bear.

Seokmin and Seungkwan were boring to watch as they sat like two stiff flagpoles, there arms barely grazing. The other four were sitting on the biggest couch in the room, cuddled up next to each other. Jun lay on Jeonghan's lap sideways, his eyes on the screen, whilst their hands were intertwined and held close to Jun's chest. Minghao was clutching Seungcheol's arm, his grip a bit tight as he noticed Seungcheol grimace.

He could not help but notice that Minghao looked over to where Hansol and Joshua were once in a while, his eyes longing. Chan was curious as to which one of them he wanted to be next to right now. Seungcheol seemed to be eyeing Jihoon, but immediately returned his gaze to the movie whenever he shifted in his seat.

It seemed that no matter where he looked, there was harmony. Everyone was getting along and everyone looked happy and content. They were being careful around him, like he was a time bomb that could go off at any moment and harm them. He knew that they were being hesitant about trusting him, but he couldn't deny that he felt lonely and somewhat left out.

He felt his eyelids grow heavy and he gave up the battle against sleep, his eyes slowly closing shut.

It was Mingyu who noticed that Chan was asleep. He had remained silent and still throughout and it wasn't until he felt a weight leaning against his leg, did he realise. He looked down to see Chan, his arms wrapped around his knees, tilted to the side, breath rhythmic. Wonwoo who was enthralled by the film, felt himself being poked by Mingyu and being shown the sleeping boy.

A small laugh bubbled up to the surface and Seungkwan glared, only to soften when he saw the tired boy across from him. The others took notice too and it was an endearing sight to see the sleeping boy, oblivious to the world around him, his features lax.

Soonyoung, who held a fast asleep Jihoon, took hold of the remote and turned off the film. Wordlessly, a few traipsed off to bed, though Seungcheol carried a sleeping Minghao, who snored very loudly as he snuggled into his shoulder. Seungkwan stumbled off to bed, guided by the tall Seokmin who was more awake than most of them.

Mingyu leant down, placing a hand beneath his knees and another beneath his shoulders, and carried Chan to the large armchair, which Soonyoung and Jihoon had occupied not five minutes ago. Wonwoo found a blanket and covered him with it. His small body seemed to almost drown in the fabric and he buried his head beneath the folds, only a small piece of hair sticking out.

"He's so serious, but adorable at the same time," Mingyu wondered out loud and there were hums of agreement from the few remaining occupants.

Wonwoo, who had remained silent, spoke. "Don't get too attached, Mingyu. Do I have to remind you about-?

Mingyu shoved him playfully and mumbled something about him being a mood-ruiner. Wonwoo merely replied, "don't say I didn't tell you so when he turns around and betrays us all."

"I have to get him to Jinhoo as soon as he gets back tomorrow. His face doesn't look that bad, but I was the one who bandaged him up. He's covered in cuts and bruises, some more recent than others," Joshua spoke, voicing his concerns to the people in the room. "Right now, all I see is a hurt child. I hope that's all there is."

There was a pause and Wonwoo spoke again, his voice less intelligible than it had been before. "Let's go to bed. If he's tired after no practise, it's a sign we need sleep."

And with that, they all went to bed, leaving Chan alone as he slept.

They all slept soundly. No nightmares greeted the occupants of the upper regions but unfortunately for Lee Chan, his sleep was not so pleasant. Images of scientists running after him with large needles and evil cackles, as well as images of his father holding a stick, ready to hit him.

He woke up, his face covered in sweat and lay there as he remembered where he was. He was safe. There were 12 other boys here with him who were all mutants. There was no way his father knew where he was and anyway, he couldn't possibly mind or care that much. His heartbeat calmed and he let out deep breaths.

He had never been a great sleeper, but ever since that day, he had been getting less sleep. It's not that they were plagued with nightmares; he just didn't like the idea of shutting his eyes whenever his father was angry.

Now that he had nothing to be afraid of here, he had thought that maybe he would be able to have some rest. It seemed the nightmares had followed him here, to this place.

He took a look out of the skylight above and saw that although it was bright, there was an orange glow to the sky outside. He would not have to wait for long for breakfast. That is, if he got any breakfast at all. He was still not used to the idea of being here with all these mutants. The thought of everything being perfect and painless seemed too good to be true.

Brooding over matters at hand sped time up and it was not long until he heard noises. It could only mean that someone else was up this early as him. Hungry for some human companionship, he stood up and took the blanket, for it was still cold during the spring months.

Walking with the blanket around him like a shroud, he walked hesitantly towards the noise. He wasn't surprised when he ended up in the kitchen where they had eaten yesterday. Besides the fact that it held a table and chairs, it had a fully furnished kitchen near it.

All he saw was the back of a thin, wiry boy who was pouring ingredients into a bowl. He whistled softly as he worked, his tune cheerful for someone being awake so early in the morning. Chan couldn't help but note that he wore a berry sprigged apron, not girly, but certainly satisfying to the eyes.

He coughed to make him aware of his presence and the boy jumped slightly, his body tensing. The head turned to look at Chan and visibly relaxed at the sight of him. It was Jun, the quiet boy who had cooked the delicious food yesterday and who seemed to be close to Jeonghan.

"Oh, you're awake!" He spoke, his voice surprised, but kind as he looked upon the younger boy, a wooden spoon held in his hand. "I trust you slept well?" 

Chan nodded, yawning as he rubbed his eyes with his fists. "I slept all right, I guess. I'm just not used to sleeping here."

Jun looked a bit hesitant when he opened his mouth, yet he still spoke. "Did you not sleep well? Was there anything bothering you?" His voice was not inquisitive, rather, it was thoughtful. 

"No, it's nothing," Chan was reluctant to tell any of these boys anything, just as they were wary of him, he was wary of telling them anything.

Seeming unsatisfied with the reply, Jun returned to mixing the ingredients in the bowl, and as he sloshed in a cup of milk with the ingredients, he spoke. "It's not 'nothing' when you lose sleep." 

His tone was accusing, as if he were accusing him of making it into too small a deal. But it was not rude, or in any way offensive. In fact, there was a great deal of compassion and worry in that sentence which made Chan almost choke on air.

His back was still to him, his hands busy as the eggs were whisked and placed into the larger bowl. Chan could see, however, that he was rigid, almost as if he were trying to contain his feelings and stop them from coming out.

Chan spoke again, his voice apologetic. "I'm sorry. Can I help you with anything?" He tightened the blanket around him, biting his lip as he waited for an answer. Yesterday he had felt somewhat guilty for not helping with anything.

Jun turned his head around and nodded, his face almost void of emotion. "You could help wash the dishes."

Slightly put off by the reply, Chan neatly folded the blanket and placed it on the bench. He was aware that he still had on the clothes he had escaped with and having now slept in them, felt a little grimy. Heading towards Jun, he took hold of the soap and applied a large amount to the scrubber.

Jun placed the dishes in the sink, his movements rigid and stiff. Chan tried to ignore the silence around him and rolled up his sleeves and began to clean the large metal bowl Jun had used a moment ago. The soap lathered and covered his hands in the soft, foamy bubbles he used to love as a child.

Once he had cleaned it, he washed it all off with hot water and placed it on the drying rack to dry. Some hair flew in front of his eyes as he washed and he attempted to brush it off with his soapy hand. He succeeded, unaware to the fact that half his forehead was now covered in soapy suds.

Having remained silent all this time, Jun observed the boy as he began to make pancakes. He was certainly working hard, his mouth set in a determined line, his face a mask of concentration. Having rolled up his sleeves, Jun could see a number of bruises lining his forearm. Some were small and hardly noticeable, but many of them were large and hard to ignore.

He looked at his pancakes and waited until he couldn't count the bubbles anymore and flipped them over. There was a satisfying sizzling as he did so, and soon the aroma of fresh pancakes filtered through the room. He had heard that Joshua had had to patch him up quite a bit and his reserves against the boy weakened. That could only mean that there were more. 

He had agreed with Joshua when he had mentioned that although some of them were as a result of the Chasers banging against his force field, many of them were too old for that. That could only mean one thing: someone had abused him, be it mother, father, aunt or guardian. Jun didn't think it was because he deserved it either. That idea had only been supported when Chan had said he had run away because home was no longer safe.

As he placed four steaming hot pancakes onto a plate, he could hear Chan humming to himself as he dried the dishes. He was wearing only socks, Jun noted worriedly and he knew how cold the tiles could get. He looked back at the first batch of pancakes and placed two on another plate, unsure if he could eat that much.

He coughed and Chan turned to look at him curiously. "You've done enough. I have some pancakes and don't be afraid to ask for more if you're hungry." His voice was softer than when he had spoken earlier, something he regretted.

Chan shook his head and continued to dry the last spoon. "Just let me finish these first." He would finish what he started, he was stubborn like that.

Once done, he turned to Jun and took the plate offered. As the places were already set with knives and forks, he took his place and began to butter them. In the centre of the table lay all forms of toppings: cinnamon sugar, maple syrup, golden syrup, chocolate syrup, chocolate chips, cream and just plain sugar. His eyes widened slightly, but he immediately reached for the maple syrup.

He poured it liberally to his plate and began to eat, his mouth turning upwards with each bite he took. "Fanfh bhu." His voice was almost unintelligible, but Jun smiled and refrained from laughing at the display of cuteness before him.

"You're welcome," he replied and returned to the stove, satisfied with himself.

It wasn't long until the rest of the boys began to make their way downstairs. Most of them were still in their pajamas, Jeonghan and Jihoon being the only two who were dressed for the day. Jun, who was still busy at the stove, was grabbed around the waist by Jeonghan and forced to sit. He let out an awkward laugh and whacked Jeonghan affectionately, who looked to Chan and motioned for him to cook the rest of the pancakes.

Considering he was done anyway, he took his plate to the sink and took the spatula for the pancakes. He was familiar with the kitchen and prided himself in being able to make something other than packet noodles.

He remembered when his mother used to make breakfast. The pancakes hissed as he turned them over and he thought of her face when she smiled. He'd wake up every morning, the sight of her hopping around the kitchen every morning a normality. 

It wasn't just the pancakes that sizzled against the hot grill and Chan tried to think of other things. When there were no more pancakes to make, he placed the large plate on the table, head down turned and watched as the boys made loud noises of approval. His thoughts were elsewhere.

Looking at the sight before him, he knew he wanted to be part of it. And he would do everything in his power to become one of them. There was nothing else for him anywhere else.

Joshua, who seemed to notice his sad mood, stood up and went away for a while. When he returned he held a towel and a set of clean clothes.

"I wasn't really sure whose clothes you'd fit into, so I grabbed some of Seungkwan's old clothes," he handed them carefully to him, his smile rueful. "Showers are good for when you feel low." 

Chan thanked him and Joshua directed him to where he could shower. The bathroom was large and spacious, the blue and yellow tiles reminiscent to the colour of irises. Making sure the door was locked, Chan adjusted the temperature of the shower water and whilst it ran, he stripped himself of his clothes.

He became aware that a large number of plasters and bandages covered his body and he made sure to remove them before going in. It would sting horribly at first, but they'd be cleaned out of any grime and infections. Maybe he could ask Joshua for a first aid kit when he was done. He yawned once more, his eyes watering. Maybe he could ask Joshua for a sleeping pill too.

As he went under the hot spray of water, he sighed and let all his worries and cares travel down the drain. He rolled his strained muscles and hissed as water hit his various wounds. Taking a look at the bar of soap, he took it and lathered his whole body well, washing all the dirt from his body. Once done, he turned off the shower and looked for some shampoo. The only shampoo he could see was coconut, on its side on the floor. He reached for it.

He thought he heard yells, but when he turned off the water, there was silence. Thinking it was only him, he went back to what he was doing. His cuts weren't hurting so much anymore and he couldn't actually feel the pain in his ear. Strange.

It wasn't long after that until he was dressed, his long hair shining wet. The clothes fit him well and he marvelled at how warm and clean he felt. 

Unlocking the door, he stepped out and made his way to the kitchen he had first entered this morning. His feet barely made a sound against the wooden floors and he noticed how it struck through the silence like a chord.

It was then when he was struck with how quiet it was. Even if they were somewhat quiet, he would definitely hear the clatter of dishes. Now quickening his pace, he ran into the kitchen.

The sight that greeted his dark brown eyes made his blood run cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the the ending >.>  
> I have a few of the chapters all typed out and I thought it best to post the next chapter now. I'm not wholly pleased with it, but maybe you guys will say differently! Enjoy!


	3. Chapter 3

The sight that greeted his dark brown eyes made his blood run cold.

—

The entire room was a mess. There were broken plates, shattered syrup bottles dripping steadily like water from a tap. Pancakes were trodden underfoot, heavy boot marks imprinted into them. The floor was a mess of broken glass and cutlery, so he trod carefully, his feet crunching against the various articles littering the floor.

What really made the blood in him grow cold was the fact that some of the boys he had only known for a short while, were lying as if dead. His heartbeat quickened and his vision grew blurry with the tears he was attempting to hold back.

Soonyoung, who had probably stuffed his face with pancakes, lay haphazardly on the table, his head on his plate, blood trickling steadily from his mouth. Jun, who had looked after him when it came to food, was lying facedown on the floor, his limbs askew in every which way. He didn't know where to look, it was all like a bad dream.

He felt something warm drip onto his hair and he looked up to see the hanging body of Joshua, his eyes wide open and blood steadily dripping from a wound in his chest. Chan screamed in terror and closed his eyes. He wanted it all to go away, but the images kept reappearing in his mind and all he wanted to do was crawl into a corner.

It was all his fault. Maybe his father had found him and hurt them all. It was all because of him. He knew that his escape was too easy. How could he have been so foolish?

He heard voices from far away and he moved his head closer to the sounds. His head was ringing and the confusion in his head was a distraction. He scrunched his eyes and willed to hear what they were saying.

"Chan! Chan, open up!" 

Open up? Open up what? Chan squinted as he opened his eyes, and heard the steady sound of dripping. The room was too bright for it to be the kitchen.

It was then when he realised that he was lying uncomfortably in the shower, a shampoo bottle next to him. The steady drip of the showerhead above brought him back to reality. He must have fallen asleep whilst getting the shampoo and dreamt that dream.

That dream. Chan shuddered and groaned as he heard loud noises outside the bathroom door. His head was pounding and he could almost feel the bruise on his forehead. There was another type of liquid donning his face other than showed water, but Chan ignored them as best he could.

There were a clamour of voices outside and it took him a while for him to decipher what was being said.

"I don't know! All I heard was a thump and a scream," he heard Soonyoung's distinctive voice clearly from behind the door. "He's breathing, that's all I know."

"Should we break it down?" A familiar, hesitant voice spoke. Minghao's voice was always distinguishable.

"No one is breaking any doors down!" An authoritative voice boomed, undoubtedly Seungcheol's.

Chan sat up and winced as the cuts on his legs hit against the shower floor. He felt cold from lack of warm water and hugged his knees to his body, feeling very pathetic. Just great. Now he had worried just about everyone needlessly for absolutely no reason.

"Chan, Chan, can hear me?" The frantic voice of Seungkwan, who sounded just about ready to cry, reached his ears. "Just tell us if you're okay!"

"I-I'm all right. I just fell in the shower, nothing to worry about," he almost whispered, his throat sore and parched. His head was hurting too, which didn't help. It therefore came as a complete surprise when he heard someone reply.

"That's not very reassuring," Soonyoung spoke knowledgeably, his tone mocking yet perfectly serious. "Saying 'I just fell' really makes us not worry. Plus, I heard you scream." His voice was cheeky and Chan had half a mind to duct tape his mouth.

He attempted to retort back smartly, but the pounding in his head prevented him from having any thought other than pain. So he weakly replied, "please, just get everyone away. I'll be out when I'm done. Please."

It was not long after when he heard people leave, albeit with a few protestations, but with Soonyoung quietly saying that all was well, they left soon enough. He felt guilty when he heard how worried Seungkwan was and was just about ready to apologise for worrying him.

When everyone else was gone, Soonyoung spoke quietly. "They're gone. Look, I got them out of your hair because you sounded like you needed air. Don't die on me or something to make me regret getting rid of them." With that he left and Chan almost wished he hadn't got rid of them all.

He needed the reassurance that they were all right. Soonyoung seemed to be fine, but what about Jun and Joshua? He shook his head vigorously. It was all a dream and they were all fine, but he wiped the tears present on his face shakily.

It took him a while to finish, his head pounding quite terribly at this point. He soon was dressed in fresh new clothes, his body and hair clean after that long shower. The softness of the clothes surprised him and he felt more refreshed than he had felt in a while. He looked for a mirror to see what he looked like. There were none, which was very confusing and odd because usually there was at least one mirror in a bathroom.

Shrugging his shoulders, he placed his old clothes and the towel in a neat pile on the floor. He quietly turned the key in the lock and stepped outside. There was no one there, but he soon saw Soonyoung making a mad dash towards him.

"Thank God! The guys were about to murder me because you took so long," his voice was breathless and he leaned over, placing his hands on his knees. "You don't look so good, Chan." He said as he looked up at his ashen face.

"I'm fine. Really," Chan spoke, for his head had now ceased it's painful throbbing. He looked down and shuffled his feet, unsure of what else to say.

"Yeah, well, we'll soon find out when Jinhoo shows up later today," Soonyoung spoke loudly, his voice indignant and angry. "You keep saying you're fine, but you look awful. Come on, the others are worried about you."

He took him gently by the arm, despite his words and led him to the kitchen. Chan never liked being the centre of attention. In fact, he couldn't bear when others were concerned about him. It was not something he was used to and he preferred to be there for others rather than others to be there for him. So when he entered the kitchen to find everyone sitting down in the kitchen looking nervous, he felt horrible.

Joshua and Jun immediately stood up at the sight of him, their faces both conveying relief. Looking around at everyone else, he saw Seungkwan had red eyes and looked just about ready to cry again. Seokmin looked distressed, but not because of him, for once he entered he gave him a look that could kill and immediately returned his gaze to Seungkwan.

He directed his gaze towards the floor and clasped his hands tightly together, his body bowed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry everyone and it wasn't that big of a deal but-" His speech was interrupted when he heard the scraping of a chair against tile and looked to see Seungcheol heading towards him.

Seungcheol walked right up to him, and bent down to look him in the eyes. "Soonyoung said he heard the sound of a body falling and we instantly believed it to be you. To us it was a big deal, for you, it seems, it was not. Don't belittle our worry. One thing you must learn is that you never can know what others are thinking unless you're telepathic like Wonwoo. We're glad you're okay, just tell us next time what's going on."

He patted him softly on the shoulder and walked out the door, his fist clenched. Chan stood up straight and apologised once more for making everyone worry. Seungkwan, who didn't look as tearful anymore, ran to him. Just when Chan was sure he was about to hug him, he paused and seemed to think twice about something, then gave a watery smile as he returned to his seat. The air grew cold and Chan bowed again, tears ready to come out of his eyes.

Seungkwan felt terrible, and everyone felt what he did, though Joshua felt worse because he could feel the air around him grow chilly with loneliness and rejection. They were overjoyed that he was all right, but they held back their emotions. The last time they had treated a new person like family, he had turned around and hurt them all.

Seungcheol, who had summoned Jihoon to follow him, was pacing back and forth in the practise room, his mind on one particular matter. 

"Hoon, what are we going to do? I can see everyone wants to grow close to him, but they're holding back because they're afraid he might betray us." He ran a large hand through his mop of dark hair and let out a frustrated sigh. "It's affecting our teamwork."

Jihoon looked at the frustrated leader and spoke, his tone calm. "Give him the test tomorrow, Cheol. I know Jisoo said he didn't want to do it to him because he's still weak, but Wonwoo can do it effortlessly. It's almost painless."

He received an incredulous look from Seungcheol, who appeared agitated. "I hope you're joking. It hurts a whole lot. Maybe it's because you've super strength, but all I know is that most of the kids screamed bloody murder. Wonwoo doesn't like doing it either. He feels it's unethical."

Jihoon threw his hands up in the air. "Then I don't know what to do, Cheol. Maybe we could-" His face grew thoughtful as his voice trailed off. "That's not a bad idea."

Seungcheol rubbed a hand over his face vigorously and looked worn. "Whatever it is, I hope it's better than what we did to Mingyu. Tomorrow we do it." 

—

After everyone had finished eating, Seokmin, Seungkwan, Hansol and Minghao left to go to work. Chan knew better than to question what it was, for it was one of the rules Seungcheol had laid out for him. He could not help the curiosity he felt at the sight of them going.

Jun, who was now clearing the table, smiled at Chan. Chan smiled back, though it was small and he knew that his soul was not in it. The others had seemed to sense that he was feeling somewhat downtrodden and left him be, although Joshua remained, his eyes lowered as he tapped away on his phone.

The image from his nightmare returned to him and Chan shook the image away. The relief he felt when he exited the bathroom and found Jun and Joshua alive and unharmed was indescribable. Never would he ever admit to being scared out of his wits.

After a few minutes of silence, Joshua's phone rang and he picked it up, his eyes looking relieved. A small rise of the lips made Chan curious as to who was on the other end, who it was that caused Joshua to smile.

"Jinhoo... three o'clock today? You'll come over? Thank you!" He set the phone down and looked into the confused expression of Chan, who had tried hard not to hear a thing.

Joshua spoke, his voice bright. "Jinhoo, the guy I was telling you about, said he's got time to come over today at three. He'll look you over and see if he can do anything."

Chan thanked him softly, his voice somewhat sad as if a large sorrow was contained in his heart. Joshua wondered at it. That a boy, probably much younger than he, could have faced such hardship in his life. It was then he realised how little he knew about him, and how little he knew about them.

Even he could feel the invisible chains that held him back from coddling and caring for the boy before him. Fear and terror of what could happen if he could wriggle his way into their hearts and just as easily break them.

After some serious thought, Joshua decided to go practise, which was probably what the rest of the boys were not doing. Whenever they could they would kick back and enjoy themselves in various ways and Joshua couldn't blame them for it. He immediately decided to take Chan along with him. He needed a distraction.

Without further ado, he stood up and said, "let's go to the practise room. I need to try something out." 

He held out his hand for Chan to take, who looked hesitantly up at him as if he was going to pull it back at any moment; something he couldn't blame him for. Every time someone had come close to offering human companionship, they had pulled back. Joshua doubted the boy could hurt a fly and believed he was better than all the suspicions.

When he did not, Chan grasped it, his hands somewhat smaller than his own but definitely more worn and calloused. His eyes lit up a bit in the dim light and Joshua felt a surge of pride run through his chest as he felt the boy feel less like a lonely soul. 

Chan wondered at the warm feeling that ran through his body as he took Joshua's hand and was surprised when he felt his heart speed up. What was this unfamiliar feeling?

Joshua's assumption was not entirely correct, for Seungcheol and Jihoon were there, Jihoon being the one practising. Seungcheol was egging him on as he barged through a solid brick wall which stood in the middle of the room. Upon entering they paused to greet them, but returned almost immediately to what they were doing.

Chan's curiosity was piqued once more when he caught sight of the lump on Seungcheol's back, but he said nothing. Joshua urged him to sit down whilst he practised, which involved him climbing up the gym-style ropes that hung from the ceiling.

Joshua was nearing the top when he seemed to have difficulty holding on to the gnarly, interwoven strands. Jihoon and Seungcheol were in their own little world and did not seem to notice that he was in prevalent peril. He prayed for him to hold on and come down safely, but judging by the look of apprehension on Joshua's face, he knew if was not to be.

Joshua let out a frightened yelp as he fell and Chan instinctively flung his hands forward, eyes locked onto the steadily falling body. His body was quickly gaining momentum and Chan knew that he did not have much time until he would hit the floor.

Seungcheol and Jihoon heard his yell and seemed to watch in horror as the events unfolded in front if them. They were halfway across the room and would never reach him in time. A nervous knot formed in his stomach.

He gritted his teeth and let out all the power he had. Instead of forming a bubble around him like he had been expecting, he felt his energy focus on a point below Joshua and soon enough he saw a platform of sorts being formulated. Once he was sure it was completed, he set his mouth in a grim line and directed it upwards with his hands, gently going beneath Joshua like a spoon.

Lowering it gently to the ground, he rushed over and went to see if he was all right. Other then being incredibly shaken, Joshua seemed to be all right despite his ordeal. He smiled weakly at Chan and sagged a little, which Chan immediately responded to by supporting his chest with his arms.

There were the sounds of thundering footsteps nearing them and soon Jihoon and Seungcheol were there, both looking extremely worried.

"I'm okay, guys. Though if it weren't for Chan here, I'd be dead or very close to being so." His voice was unnervingly calm and he grasped Chan's hand tightly in thanks.

Seungcheol, looking reassured, heaved out a sigh and patted Chan on the back thankfully. "Again you've saved the life of one of our members. Thank you." He bowed but Chan waved his hand dismissively.

"Don't thank me, it's really no bother. I would do it for any of you in a heartbeat," he blushed under the amazed stares directed at him. "Y-You saved me from something I ran away from. I should be eternally grateful to you. It's the least I can do."

With that, he assisted the shaky Joshua to stand up, supporting him with one arm behind his waist and the other holding onto his arm, which hung over his shoulders. It was quite a sight really, to see his shorter figure supporting someone much taller than him. 

Seungcheol ran a hand through his messy hair. "I don't think I've ever felt this guilty about doing the test on someone. He trusts us more than we trust him."

Jihoon patted the distraught leader gently on the back. "It's fine. It'll be over like that and he won't think any worse of us." He looked at the empty space in front of him. "At least I hope he won't."

—

Feeling that Joshua could rest easy in the den, Chan headed in that direction, supporting Joshua who was quite perturbed by recent events. When he entered, he was surprised to see the rest of the boys there doing various leisurely activities.

Mingyu and Wonwoo were once again playing Mario Kart, only this time with supporters on both sides yelling for them to do this and that. The only two who were not involved were Jun and Jeonghan, who were relaxing on a couch, Jun resting on the other's shoulder as they spoke in low tones. There was no doubt in Chan's mind that they were more than they appeared to the human eye.

It was something he secretly craved, but he woke himself from his lonesome stupor and carefully set Joshua down on the couch, ignoring the glances he was getting. Jun sent him an alarmed gaze and Chan just nodded reassuringly, which seemed to set him at ease.

"Do you want anything, Joshua?" He spoke gently as he heaped pillows on either side to support the boy's slightly trembling body. "Water, tea, juice, anything?"

Joshua just smiled and shook his head. "I don't need or want anything, I'm quite all right. Sit down, you look tired." He patted the space next to him and Chan sat down, his body still willing to do anything to help him. 

"Are you sure you don't need anything?" He fiddled with the hem of his plain blue shirt nervously, his cheeks pale from the energy he exerted to stop Joshua from falling.

Placing a hand on top of his jumpy fingers, Joshua spoke, "just relax and rest. Jinhoo will arrive soon and he'll berate me if he sees you're a nervous wreck."

Chan stopped with his fidgeting and stared at Joshua's hand, which lay atop his. His fingers were slender and long, untouched by age or wear, soft as petals on roses, radiating a warm feeling as soon as they touched his. Compared to his own used and abused hands, they were almost... beautiful.

Joshua removed his hand quickly as he saw Jun and Jeonghan look at them curiously. The ambience in the room was relaxed and friendly, although Mingyu and Wonwoo were radiating competition. Unconsciously, he tapped into Chan's surface and felt waves of unease and unrest seeping through the seams.

Doing the one thing he knew he was good at, he directed his power towards Chan and felt better when he sensed Chan relaxed a little on the couch. 

Joshua did not know exactly why he talked to and cared for Lee Chan as much as he did. Maybe it was the fact that he had defended a stranger and had done so with no hesitance. Maybe it was the fact that this boy was different. He acted so nervous and quiet normally, but during dire times would turn around and be as confident as Seungkwan was about his looks.

He was certainly a study for someone like himself, who knew people almost as well as Wonwoo knew them. Wonwoo never purposefully entered the mind of anyone unless it was under orders of Seungcheol; he was too nice for that. But like every mutant, there were days when his mutation was more difficult to handle. 

Chan was close to falling asleep, his head dropping every now and then, only to jump up again when he realised he was dropping off. Soonyoung who had been watching him for a while, snorted when he saw the bleary eyes of Chan. 

"Someone looks tired," he said jokingly and Chan pouted sleepily.

Joshua slid closer to him and spoke kindly. "Jinhoo will be coming soon, so why don't you wait until after that and then you can just go to bed early?"

Chan nodded and shook his head vigorously until he was somewhat more awake. Then Mingyu and Wonwoo invited him over to play with them. Unsure of how to play, he fumbled with the remote at first but soon started yelling indignantly when Wonwoo slyly hit him with a red shell. Joshua smiled. He fitted right in it seemed.

Time passed quickly after that and soon Soonyoung stood up. "I hear Jinhoo's footsteps outside. I'll go get him." He swiftly left the room.

Joshua, who had remained relatively silent, spoke. "Do you want me to tell him to come in here or to my room?" He knew Chan felt shy about the others seeing him as he was.

Nodding slowly, Chan paused to look up at him. "Will you be there too? I just-" His lower lip was being mercilessly chewed by his teeth as he gazed at him fearfully.

"Of course! I wouldn't leave you alone."

Standing up, Chan handed the remote to Wonwoo and waited until Joshua rose from the couch. He followed Joshua up those torturous stairs and was surprised when he entered the room he had woken up in.

"I-That was your room?" His incredulous tone was apparent and Joshua laughed. "I hope I didn't inconvenience you." He sounded almost guilty.

Before Joshua could reply, his door opened and an older boy stood in the doorway. His dark hair lay in a curly mop on his head and his smile was incredibly gummy and wide. Chan instantly liked him and knew that he had nothing to fear from him.

"Well," he said, letting them in, "I guess this is the Chan Josh mentioned. How do you do?" He held out his hand blithely and Chan shook it without hesitance, his eyes bright. "Won't you sit down?"

Chan made himself comfortable on the familiar bedspread and watched as Joshua and Jinhoo greeted each other. They seemed to be old friends and hugged each other, laughing about how it was funny they hadn't seen each other in so long.

Soon Jinhoo grew quiet and he turned to Chan, his eyes serious. "I won't do anything you don't want me to do, but I have given most of the boys here a thorough exam. It helps for future reference and sheds light on some things."

Shaking his head, Chan uttered the words, "I don't mind, really." He looked up with his innocent eyes and spoke again, "I'll do what you say." Despite his fake confidence, his voice was still tumultuous.

"First, could you remove your shirt? I heard that you were hurt from Joshua."

Shakily taking off the only article of clothing that hid his wounds, he sat there, his legs dangling off the side of the bed. Jinhoo, being quite professional, didn't let his shock show, but his mind ran wild.

"Those looked like they hurt," he said sympathetically, carefully opening his satchel and removing numerous articles. "I'm just going to clean them up a bit, okay?"

He applied antiseptic cream carefully to the various cuts and put on gauze and tape where necessary. Joshua was looking quite serious, until Chan looked at him as he winced when one of cuts hurt and his face softened and he smiled reassuringly to the badly hurt boy.

Once he was done Jinhoo ruffled his hair. "You've been very brave so far and all I want to see now are your legs. Don't worry," he said as Chan looked alarmed, "your boxers stay on."

Chan flushed and he carefully removed the trousers, aware that he could rip open one of the abrasions on his trunk. His legs were basically unharmed, but Jinhoo still surveyed them and questioned him when he saw a long, jagged scar, running up his right thigh.

"Where'd you get that?" He asked curiously, looking at the intense line of pale pink.

Hesitating, Chan looked to Joshua for help. He merely urged him to answer him, his face growing dark when he thought of what the answer could be.

"Back in 2014, scientists thought-" he began.

"-that you could 'bleed out' the mutation." Jinhoo finished the sentence for him, his eyes wide with the sudden realisation as he looked at the scar. "They treated it like they did in olden days, like a disease that could be removed." His voice was angry as he looked at Chan, who cowered instinctively.

"You mean to say that someone did that on purpose?" Joshua asked incredulously as he peered at the old wound, his eyes widening slightly.

"Scientists were fools," Jinhoo declared furiously. He whirled around as the thought came to him. "Who did this to you?" His eyes conveyed the fact that he was absolutely blazing mad.

"M-my dad," Chan breathed out and tried not to notice the look that passed between Joshua and Jinhoo.

"Did-Did your father hurt you more than once?" Jinhoo asked, his eyes narrowing. "Did he abuse you?"

Chan hesitated. A part of him wanted to say that he was raised just fine, but somehow he knew that he had suffered more than once at the hands of his own father.

"Y-Yes. Some days it wasn't that bad though," he hugged his arms to his chest and directed his eyes downwards. His eyes watered and he wanted to let loose the pent up tears, but he held them back. He must look pathetic enough as it was.

It was strange; the feelings he had towards his father. He didn't hate him, as one would expect. Rather than hating him, Chan felt pity for the man who had lost his wife and discovered his son was one of those mutants on the same night. As much as he had hurt him, Chan could not find it in his heart to feel hatred towards this man.

Instead of asking him more questions, Jinhoo remained silent for a brief period of time, his face brooding. Then he and Joshua spoke in serious, low tones for a minute. When they turned around, Jinhoo wore a smile.

"Joshua told me that your ear was giving you some trouble. May I?" At the nod from Chan, he grabbed what almost seemed like a hammer and placed it gently into his ear.

Whilst he was doing so, Joshua helped Chan put on his trousers, who blushed, embarrassed. By the time they were done, Jinhoo was done. He looked somewhat disconcerted, but grabbed a wad of cotton.

"I can see that the outer ear and the eardrum have been slightly damaged. It's nothing serious, but I'll put cotton wool in your ear to allow it time to heal," he began to gently stuff it into his ear and soon he was done.

When finished, he looked at Chan seriously, "anything else I should know about before I give Joshua instructions?" His eyes were warm and Chan racked his brains for anything he might have forgotten.

"To make your life easier I'll ask questions, okay?" Jinhoo spoke and smiled helpfully to the confused boy. "Any allergies?"

Chan shook his head and Jinhoo continued. "Any medical conditions?" Again, Chan shook his head. Seemingly at a loss, Jinhoo spoke inquisitively. "Were you ever locked from the outside world for a long period of time?

Chan's head snapped up and he locked eyes with Jinhoo, who sat up straight in his seat. "Were you ever held inside against your will and abused for a lengthy period of time?" Ashamedly, Chan nodded quickly, his eyes turning downwards.

He could feel the looks of pity as the two of them paused and he somewhat wished that he hadn't told them. He had hoped he could hide from everyone what his life had been like formally.

"How long?" The question required him to answer by speech, but Chan's eyes were so close to spilling over and his throat was so closed up that he dare not answer.

He held up his hand, his small hand and brandished three fingers which he held aloft. He heard Jinhoo cough and saw the chair shift as if he felt uncomfortable. There were only two things he could really ask about that, and one of them was right.

"Three months?" When Chan shook his head, there was an intake of breath in the silent room and Jinhoo spoke again, his voice silently seething with a hidden anger. "Three years?" At the incline of his head, Jinhoo stood up and paced the room.

Chan looked up at him, his eyes watering and Jinhoo ceased his pacing as he noticed his stricken face. His serious mask moulded into that of the smiling face he recognised and he placed his large, warm hand onto his cheek.

"Then I must tell Joshua to buy some vitamin D tablets, which you must take daily, at least until I say so, all right?" He spoke gently and Chan swiped a hand over his eyes silently, nodding.

Chan pulled the shirt over his head again, mindful of the cuts and bruises and stood up shakily. Joshua gave him a strained smile, which Chan returned quite weakly. 

"Of course, I am sworn to secrecy about all of this if you say the word. Even if you don't tell everyone now, you will eventually have to tell them all." Jinhoo turned to Chan who shuffled his sock clad feet.

"I-I'd rather you didn't. Not yet at least, I just don't want anyone to treat me differently," Chan almost whispered, his voice soft.

Jinhoo bowed seriously and Chan smiled a little as he said, "your every wish is my command." With that he ruffled his hair caressingly and left the room briskly, bag in hand.

"Thank you, Joshua," Chan bowed thankfully to the boy, who shook his head in protest.

"It's no problem at all and please call me Jisoo; all my friends do," his voice was kind and not pitying but empathetic. 

A warm feeling blossomed in his chest and spread throughout his entire being; Chan reveled in it and grabbed Jisoo's hand which was held out to him. Friend. When was the last time someone had called him friend? He'd rather not dwell on that.

"Jisoo. I like how it sounds," Chan said, his tongue working its way around the word that sounded almost musical to the ear. 

They made their way carefully down the stairs like that and Chan's curious eyes met with Jihoon speaking with Jinhoo quite seriously. Hesitantly Jinhoo rifled through his bag and took out a white plastic package, his hands handing it over to Jihoon who bowed. 

He only heard a snippet of the conversation and wondered at the words that escaped Jinhoo's mouth, almost like a warning. "Be careful Jihoon, you're toying with trust here." With that he left, but not before looking up at Chan and sending him an apologetic look.

Chan soon forgot it as soon as he entered the den. Jun, who seemed to have been waiting for him, held out a plastic covered bowl with a spoon on top. Everyone was at their usual ridiculousness and he swore that Wonwoo and Mingyu had taken the time to grow worse in their level of violence.

"I have some light soup here that you'll be able to eat all of. Your stomach is still sensitive," he spoke kindly, and handed it to Jisoo who motioned for Chan to sit down.

The other boys were too busy watching the drama in front of the screen, which looked pretty fun, but Chan's eyes were fixed on food. He ate it slowly under the careful tutelage of Jisoo and felt full when he managed to finish it all. As the warm food entered his system, he felt himself grow more tired than ever.

As he ate, he felt the familiar prickling sensation in his body as if someone were watching him. Raising his head, he discovered that Jeonghan was looking at him as if he wanted to remember something, but couldn't for the life of him remember. His brows were furrowed and his lips were pursed as seemed thoughtful about something. 

Ever since he had arrived here, his curiosity about Jeonghan had only grown. His face was familiar, but there was a mental block in his mind as to who he was. It annoyed Chan. He hated not being able to remember who he reminded him of and he swore he would remember soon.

He looked down, his eyes staring at the worn carpet below his feet. He was tired and was sure that he was soon going to fall asleep soon. A hand laid itself on his shoulder and he looked up to see Soonyoung giving him a worried gaze.

"Are you okay?" He spoke quietly and he searched his face for any signs of distress. "I'm still worried about the accident you had this morning. You can't blame me, can you?"

Chan shook his head tiredly and thanked him again softly. He saw Soonyoung walk towards Wonwoo and collapse to the floor, leaning his head on the dark haired boys shoulder. Wonwoo inched closer to him, almost risking his first place to Mingyu who cursed as he hit a walking mushroom.

Chan could not help but smile at the sight, but he was growing afraid of becoming attached to them for fear that he would not be able to stay here. They were all so wonderful and kind to him, though they had their reservations. 

For a very long time, Lee Chan had not interacted with any other person other than his father, if you could call that interacting. He had never been sociable and now he was even less so. If only thoughts could be translated into words!

His stomach was full and satisfied, and a wonderful warmth stole over his body. His head drooped and the bowl almost slipped out of his hand but Jisoo caught it with deft fingers and placed it on the floor. Chan found himself being manoeuvred until he was lying flat on the couch, his head resting on something soft. A blanket was laid over him and he shut his eyes as Jisoo ran a hand through his hair gently.

Murmuring a muffled thank you, he heard a light chuckle in return. His hand blindly searched for a handhold and he soon felt the familiar, warm hand grasp his tightly. The low talking of the other boys willed his worries and cares away and he tightened his grip on Jisoo's hand.

Under the gentle remonstrations of Jisoo, Chan fell asleep, a smile gracing his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments and kudos so far! I love reading comments so much^^ I apologise for the cliffhanger and the long wait. Hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

Under the gentle remonstrations of Jisoo, Chan fell asleep, a smile gracing his face.

—

When he woke up, the skylight above was leaking the sun's rays onto the carpeted floor of the den. The light was a warm gold and he was sure he had not awoken as early as he had yesterday. His body did not ache from lack of sleep and his stomach was not making an unpleasant rumbling noise, only the comforting grunt that suggested that it was ready for its next meal.

The ceiling above him was a plain white; various cracks and fissures trailing off into whiteness. He turned his head and realised that he most definitely was not lying on a pillow. It was soft but not the feathery texture of a pillow. Sitting up suddenly, he realised that he was not the only person in the room.

Joshua, or Jisoo as he now preferred to call him, was sitting where his head had been, his head tilted backwards as he breathed in and out softly, sitting asleep on the couch. He had been resting his head on his lap the whole night!

Their hands were still intertwined and Chan gazed at how his small hand was swamped by Jisoo's much larger one. The grip their hands had on each other had loosened over the night, but Chan could feel the softness of his palms against his own.

A feeling of guilt descended upon Chan when he saw how uncomfortable Jisoo looked, his neck bent back at an awkward angle. Seeing that it was nothing that couldn't be fixed, Chan gently, oh so gently, moved him around until he was lying down. He pulled the blanket over him and looked down at him.

Jisoo looked peaceful like that. His eyelashes were long and dark, lacing his healthily red cheeks like the centre of a blood red poppy to its coal black pollen. Hair, slightly tousled, was pulled back from his pale forehead. His lips were a pale pink as they let out gentle puffs of air from his mouth. He looked like an ancient Japanese painting — pale pinks and dark browns against a white backdrop.

Chan caught himself before he thought too much and slapped himself on the cheek, scolding himself for letting his mind wander. He turned to go, both his cheeks flaming bright red. This had never occurred to him before and he felt awed by the feelings that rushed through his body.

He padded softly towards the kitchen, eager to start the day with the houseful of boys. When he entered, he found it to be empty and realised that he must have woken ahead of time. He sat cross-legged on the bench and awaited Jun's arrival.

It seemed Jun awoke at the same time every morning, but immediately something seemed off the moment he entered the quiet kitchen. For one thing, instead of greeting him verbally like he had yesterday, he merely inclined his head upon him entering. He wasn't whistling a tune; he was perfectly silent.

Something was most definitely wrong, but Chan didn't think it was any of his business. As much as it hurt him to think it, he wasn't really a part of any of their lives, save perhaps for Jisoo. As much as he wanted to be, he knew better than to grow attached to something he may not be able to keep forever.

So he sat down on the bench and rocked his hanging feet up high. Sitting on his hands, he tried to imagine what it must be like to have to cook for so many people, and teenage boys at that. A lot of hard work no doubt.

"I d-don't suppose I could help with anything?" Chan asked quietly, his eyes on the tiles below. He hoped Jun got the double-meaning hidden in it.

Jun turned to him and shook his head, a troubled look on his thin face. His natural eye bags were darker than usual and it worried Chan somewhat. Well, he certainly understood the implications behind his words, but he did not wish to confide in him.

Chan sat in the silence and thought of how he was not used to the silence now. Whenever he was at home, his father barely spoke a few words to him, save for the times he would yell and curse at him, telling him that he was merely a waste of space. Since arriving here, he had been surrounded by the sound of conversation and laughter. Now it seemed almost foreign.

He shivered in the chilly atmosphere and almost wished he hadn't left the warm confines of the couch. His sores and cuts did not hurt as much today. He took it as a sign that they were getting better. The familiar ache in his leg only reminded him of the secrets he hid from these boys.

Jeonghan entered the kitchen and headed straight for Jun, who did not seem to be aware of his presence. He slipped his arms around his waist and kissed the back of the neck, muttering what seemed to be reassurances into his ear softly. Jun smiled a little and Chan perked up at the sight.

The things love could do were certainly extraordinary. It made man weak or strong and it caused rivalry between friends. Chan could not help but long for those affections, but somehow, he felt that he would never get that kind of thing.

"Good morning," Jeonghan said as he turned to realise Chan was in the room.

Chan replied that it was indeed a good morning and sat there awkwardly as Jeonghan assisted Jun with the victuals. He was handed a plate and he thanked the two of them. Whilst he ate, the other boys trickled into the kitchen little by little.

When Jisoo entered, he gave a sleepy smile to Chan and fixed his messy curls. Chan couldn't help but feel his cheeks heat up and looked to the floor when he heard giggling coming from Seungkwan. It was embarrassing being caught acting like a lovesick idiot by the biggest mouth of them all.

Breakfast was soon finished and Chan stood up to start cleaning the dishes. Before he could do so, Jun came over and handed him a bright orange drink.

"I put the Vitamin D tablet in and you're supposed to take it every day," his voice was not bright and held a great regret in it that Chan could not help but worry about.

Chan took it without a moment of hesitance, the drink tasting like a pleasant orange flavour and he furrowed his brows as he saw Jun take a step back. His eyes were wide and they soon filled with tears. He gave him a mournful look as if he were sorry for something and turned away to face the stove, his arms crossed before him.

Taking a step forward, Chan was confused when he felt his world tilt and grow fuzzy before his very eyes. He felt a number of hands grab him, holding him up and he opened his mouth as he felt himself losing all power in his limbs. Seungcheol was yelling something unintelligible at Jihoon who shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

He was being held up by a number of hands and he saw Joshua, or Jisoo as he was allowed to call him, on his left, his eyes confused and uncertain as they flickered between himself, Jun and the arguing pair. Seokmin was surprisingly on his left, his gaze showing masked worry as he held him up. 

It took great effort for him to keep his eyes open and he felt his body sag, only to be held up by his two supporters. Jisoo's grip was tight, but gentle in its hold. Seokmin's was unexpectedly loose, but strong at the same time. The world around him was blending together into an odd mixture of colours and he felt the world around him slip away.

Just before he felt his body grow limp and his eyes close shut, the idea came to him that the drink had been drugged.

—

When Lee Chan was young he had a pleasant childhood. He had had the usual birthday parties, where his mother would bake him whatever kind of cake he wanted and where he would blow out the candles with raspberry lips. 

Rather than moments like this, he remembered his mother's laughter more than any other image in his mind. When he was a small child, he had always wondered what exactly his mother's laugh was like on this earth. It wasn't until he grew older did he know exactly what it sounded like.

During a school trip to the woods and wilderness, his class group stumbled upon a small stream or something of the like. The water, hit by the sun's rays, sparkled like diamonds. But it wasn't the beauty of the sight that caused Chan to freeze. It was the sound of the water running through mazes of rocks, pebbles and moss.

The gurgling of a brook reminded him of his mother's laughter and when he got home, his eager, eight year old self proclaimed the revelation to his mother. His mother let out a laugh and had ruffled his hair fondly, her eyes shining.

These treasured memories were stored in the deep recesses of Chan's mind and he rarely thought of them, for they were of better times never to return. Such precious thoughts were to be preserved for times of need or comfort.

Chan didn't know where he was. There was an endless abyss of black before him and as far as he knew, he was not awake. His limbs were immovable and he found himself unable to open his eyes. There were noises and voices elsewhere and he strained to hear what they were saying.

"Wonwoo, can you just hurry up with it?" An indistinguishable voice was near him and Chan couldn't place his finger onto who it was.

He heard an stressed sigh and a strained voice spoke, "listen, it's harder than it looks, Jihoon." In the middle of speaking, the speaker's voice had cracked and he seemed to be struggling with his words. "You gave me no warning." The voice was reproachful.

"Just hurry up, Wonwoo." The voice was emotionless and final, as if to signify to the other that there was no room for argument.

Chan wondered what they were talking about as he lay there, almost certain that the two occupants were Jihoon and Wonwoo. For some reason Jun had drugged him and now he was lying in the darkness, but he was not afraid. And he was stupid. Chan knew that he trusted these boys with his very life, and now look what they had done.

There was silence, but soon he felt a pain in his skull, as if someone had lit a match in his brain and was letting it run rampant. He gasped and his limbs started to move of their own accord, struggling to escape the burn of the flames. He heard a cacophony of voices at once and found his limbs being held down.

His struggling seemed to have no effect on the clamp-like grips that held him tightly and he found himself unable to move. He wasn't sure if there were words escaping his mouth, but he could feel the tears escaping his closed eyes, a wetness trailing down his cheeks.

A scream rang out and Chan wondered whose voice it was that was letting out such a frightening sound. The pain escalated in his head and all he could see and feel was the awful, horrific pain that took over all his senses. He gave up struggling and felt himself slowly slip away from reality, away from all that pain that bombarded his brain.

There was one last memory that lingered in his mind as he strayed away from the world around him. A familiar feeling of comfort made it somewhat easier to bear and he thanked God for the soft touch of someone running a hand through his hair.

—

When Chan opened his eyes, he was met with the familiar faces of his companions. His eyes took a while to focus, everything still a little fuzzy as he closed his eyes in the desperate hope that his vision would clear up. Despite his somewhat impaired sight, he could distinguish Soonyoung's blonde head of hair amongst the large array of browns and blacks.

Despite the fact that his head had felt like it was on fire before, he felt more tired than anything else. It wasn't that familiar tiredness that encompassed him, but the kind that sinks through the skin and into the bones; permanent in their position. His whole body ached and he wanted to fall asleep again.

It seemed that fate had another plan for him for as soon as he shut his eyes, he felt a gentle hand patting his cheeks gently. As gentle as the touch was, he knew that he must open his eyes.

With eyes open once more, he was met with the familiar face of Jun, his vision having returned. His eyes were rimmed with red, almost as if he had been crying recently and Chan, despite his own weary state, reached a hand over and grasped his hand which lay on his cheek.

He licked his dry lips and wondered why his throat hurt so much. "Don't c-cry, Jun." He spoke softly, his ticklish throat making it hard to utter words and squeezed his hand weakly, strength spent and wasted.

For some reason Chan didn't understand, Jun's eyes welled up again and tears trailed down his cheeks sadly as he hicupped. "I-I'm so... sorry. I d-didn't..."

Chan was confused. What was there to be sorry about? He was sure that Jun hadn't done anything to offend or hurt him. His brows furrowed and he looked around at the rest of the quiet group of boys, his eyes searching for some kind of hint.

Then it hit him like a high-speed train. The drink. The pain. The remembrance of the thought that perhaps the drink had been drugged. And the one who had given him the drink- Jun! 

It dawned on him, and his forehead cleared like the sun coming out from behind the clouds of doubt. He looked with a realisation on Jun's tearful face and smiled brightly, despite just how much he wanted to shut his eyes at the current moment. Jun looked confused and his frown deepened.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Jun hyung. You must have a reasonable explanation for what you did," he squeezed his hand a bit pathetically. Jun's jaw dropped and his arms slipped to his sides in what seemed to be utter shock.

"B-B-But... I-" Jun was cut off by a loud voice.

"Well, before Jun ends up sounding like an old car motor and thoroughly embarrasses himself, I'd like to say something," Soonyoung was the person who had spoken, his hand raised politely and he looked somewhat impatient about something. 

Everyone looked at him in curiosity as they saw his serious face. Suddenly the sun came out and Soonyoung smiled, his whole face lighting up like a candle. 

In one swift movement, Chan found himself being held in an awkward embrace by Soonyoung, his face buried into his sweater which smelled of... citrus? There was a stunned silence and Chan wondered what on earth was going on with everyone.

He couldn't deny the fact that he liked this hug of Soonyoung's. It had been a while since he had been hugged and he couldn't help but snuggle into his warmth, the fresh scent of grapefruit wafting past his nose. He tightened his arms around Soonyoung and felt close to crying. Oh, hugs were wonderful. It had been so long!

As much as he enjoyed it, he loosened his hold on the sweater as Soonyoung pulled back. Chan sat up a bit in the reclining chair he was situated in. He was sure his eyes were close to overflowing and he blinked, hoping he could hold himself together. Soonyoung spoke once more, his voice gentler now.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to hug you, Channie! It's about time and now we know that you can stay!" Chan's head snapped to find Seungcheol's, who nodded, his face like stone.

It was true! Now he had a place to be. A place to come home to. A place where there were others who cared about his wellbeing. But how? What had changed so suddenly? As he grew confused and lost in his own thoughts, he heard the hushed sound of everyone leaving and soon realised that only Seungcheol remained.

Seungcheol broke the silence first. "We did the test on you. Jihoon... Jihoon thought it would be best to drug you and perhaps alleviate some of the pain," his head swiveled towards Chan, his eyes lowered to the floor, "obviously that didn't work."

"Wha-What exactly is the test?" Chan asked, a part of him afraid of the answer he might get. His voice trembled and he hoped he didn't appear as scared as he was.

Seungcheol furiously ran a hand down his face and looked drawn. "Look, it isn't great, I'll be honest, but it's the only way we know for certain," he paused and looked dejected and Chan felt like hugging him. "Wonwoo purges into the person's mind and searches for anything suspicious. T-That's why it hurts so much."

Chan was speechless. Usually, Chan was calm and collected and knew exactly what to say or not to say. Now he knew not what to think. That meant that Wonwoo knew everything. The only question was just how much he told them about him and his life. There were so many things he wouldn't want anyone to see or anyone to know.

Then the rational side of his thinking kicked in. They did have a genuine reason and it was true, there was little else they could do. His privacy had been breached and broken into but surprisingly enough, that was the only thing that really bothered him. When the prospect of having a family filled his mind, there was little else he minded at the current moment.

He was awoken from his thoughts by Seungcheol, who had remained silent after his words, but uttered two words. "I'm sorry." He was biting his bottom lip with such zeal, Chan was afraid he would make it bleed.

"No need to apologise. It's okay," he was rather surprised when he said those words. One would think he would be furious or betrayed, but Chan was a placid soul who believed that everyone deserves to be forgiven. "I'll admit that there were some things I'd prefer you didn't know of, but other than that, it's wasn't that bad."

Seungcheol suddenly looked angry, but not at Chan. "No!" He exclaimed loudly, gripping Chan tightly by the shoulders. "It's not 'okay'. We shouldn't have taken advantage of your trust in us. We should have thought of something else. I'd kill someone who would ever take advantage of someone like that! We invaded your privacy and Wonwoo-"

He was hushed by Chan who looked troubled. "It's not what you did." He spoke calmly, careful with his words. "Your intention was to find out if I could hurt your team and you had all the best intentions, right? Now I can stay here with all of you. I was going to keep all those things Wonwoo found out to myself. You speak of privacy; I invaded your lives and you kept me here despite the dangers."

He was breathing hard by the time he was done and slowly, he felt the grip on his shoulders loosen. His tongue felt dry and he was reminded of his sore throat, tears threatening to fall down south any moment now. He was never this emotional. What was wrong with him?

"I- But, still." Seungcheol began to speak but realised it was fruitless, his voice less confident than before. The worry lines gradually decreased in number and his facial expression lightened a little as he looked admiringly at Chan, his eyes bright. "I don't think I have heard you say that much in one go." 

Chan couldn't help but blush under Seungcheol's kind scrutiny and turned his face away. "As I've said before, I only talk when I have to." His voice was croaky and he coughed into his palm, his sore throat causing his tears to spring up into his eyes. They trailed like small streams down his cheeks and he sniffed.

Seungcheol spoke, his voice close to cracking up, "I-Thank you. Now you're one of us, so," he leant down to his eye level, "you're never, ever alone. That's one of the things you're going to have to deal with: thirt-twelve other boys who won't leave you be."

Much to Chan's surprise, he felt a thumb wipe away his tears and he looked up to see Seungcheol, his hard face softened into a completely different face. His large, brown eyes were benevolent in their gaze and his face was understanding.

Letting out a particularly loud sob, Chan flung his face into Seungcheol's wife beater, forgetting all else. The tears fell hotly down his face and a hand ran circles in his back, a calming presence in the silent room.

Being comforted like this... it had been a while to say the least. The pent up tears Chan hadn't dared let loose around his father were released and Chan coughed and choked. The lump in his throat grew and he felt the tears come down his face thick and fast. He held tighter onto the person by him and sobbed.

His chest hurt so much, but as the tears fell like water from a tap down his cheeks, he could feel the pain lessening. He didn't know that holding all that in could affect him so much, but all he could think of was just how long it had been. His body was shaking with sobs and he could hear Seungcheol murmuring small words of comfort.

There was the sound of a door opening and soon, quite frighteningly, there were eleven other boys surrounding him. He wasn't sure what transpired after that moment.

He remembered Seungkwan suddenly bursting into tears, blubbering about how he was sorry about that one time he had stepped away from him and would he ever forgive him? Hansol rolled his eyes and told him that he wasn't in a drama where the main lead was sensitive.

Soonyoung, kind Soonyoung, held him once more, his smile and voice brighter than ever and telling him that it was okay to cry. Wonwoo wasn't far behind and apologised profusely, his emotionless face just about ready to crumple like paper. He whispered quietly into Chan's ear that whilst he had told all of them about his life from his mind reading, they promised not to mention it. Some things were better left alone.

There were plenty of tears and hugs exchanged, although Chan unashamedly admitted that he did most of the crying. Seokmin, the boy Chan had been sure hated him, hugged him but made an immediate beeline for Seungkwan, his face a mask of indifference. 

Everyone else had congratulated him on being one of them and Chan could see that, although no words were spoken of it, their movements were not sudden. It seems they knew enough to treat him almost like glass.

Jisoo was the person Chan was the happiest to see and he shyly went in for a hug, his tear-streaked face smiling as he burrowed into his soft, lilac-scented sweater. His felt his hair being petted and he felt an arm wrap around him timidly. He looked up at Jisoo, who smiled and patted his head.

Chan wondered what it was that caused his heart to speed up as he looked into the dark chocolate eyes of Jisoo. Maybe it was the way they sparkled just now, maybe he was still a bit woozy after all that had happened to him. Or maybe... it was the way he was looking at him now with those same eyes, full of compassion and something else he could not identify.

Chan wondered what it was.

—

It was not long until everyone had settled down in the den, everyone appearing weary and worn after the ordeal of dealing with their guilt. Even after Chan had said that he hadn't minded that much and had forgiven them, they still couldn't help but feel guilty.

Chan sat, sandwiched between Jisoo, who offered his arm to lie against and Soonyoung, who had insisted on holding his hand. He lay his head against Joshua and felt his arm snake around him from behind. He felt cosy there, between the two and watched as everyone else found their places.

Jun and Jeonghan, never far apart, sat together, their hand intertwined. Minghao was once again occupying the space near Seungcheol and Chan understood now why everyone looked up to him. He had the presence of a protector, a guardian, and was almost like a father in many ways.

Once everyone had settled down, Seungcheol coughed, commanding everyone's attention to him. He licked his lips and spoke, his voice its usual low baritone.

"Now, since Chan is now one of us, we're going to have to be more honest," he eyed Chan, "that includes you too, Chan. We're a family here and no one is ever looked over and there are no secrets between us. Okay?" He surveyed the entirety of the room.

Everyone mumbled a 'yes' or nodded their heads in assent. Chan could see, although many had replied to Seungcheol's words, Mingyu exchanged a look with the leader, who nodded somewhat reassuringly. Mingyu looked slightly less worried and appeared more relieved, though Chan daren't think why.

Before he could brood on it much longer, Seungcheol continued. "It's about time we came clean about who we are and what we do." There were cheers and whoops, many of the boys excited to tell Chan about what they did.

"As you've probably already guessed, Chan, we're a group of mutants," he waved a hand over everyone and landed upon him, "and so are you." He paused for effect. "We help other mutants, like ourselves, by taking from the people who made our lives difficult."

Chan's heart plummeted and he stopped breathing for a brief moment. Jisoo shifted in his seat and Chan knew that he could sense his unsettling feelings bursting through the seams. Chan could not — would not — believe his ears. 

"In short," Seungcheol answered his question, "we're taking revenge on those who made our very lives miserable: humans." He looked triumphant and the other boys looked at Chan expectantly as if looking forward to a reaction.

Chan raised his head and felt uncomfortable under everyone's stares. He coughed into his hand and opened his mouth to speak. "D-Do you h-hurt anyone along the way?" He asked hesitantly, even more afraid of the answer to this.

Seungcheol thought for a moment and spoke again. "We never come with the intention to hurt, only to steal. It hasn't happened before." He nodded along to his words, satisfied with his reply.

Chan relaxed a little, but his moral compass felt like it was going haywire. These boys stole from humans. These boys were rebel mutants who did unlawful things to help others. These boys had saved him and he owed them one. What was he to do? 

Jihoon piped up, his gaze neutral as he stared at Chan, who appeared somewhat troubled by the recent turn of events. "I can understand if you don't like the idea. I didn't either for a while, until I realised that this is the easiest way to get back at humans. Surely you can see, from your own experience, that humans hate our guts."

He wore a neutral expression in his face, yet Chan could sense the malice as he spoke of the people he called 'humans'. He spat out the words, as if the mere mention of them would cause him to throw a fit in front of everyone. Jihoon was therefore, in that regard, a lot scarier than any of the others. He held a hatred in him, a hidden anger that, quite frankly, scared Chan.

Chan recalled the many times he had been beaten by his father, the words he used and the derogatory feelings that came with it. Yet, he did not hate his father. Perhaps he disliked him greatly, but that was as far as his feelings went. He could see where they were coming from and could only gather that their experience with humans had not been happy memories.

"So," Seungcheol asked, "are you with us or not?" It was a very abrupt question and although Chan knew that it would come sooner or later, it took him by surprise. Seungcheol didn't beat around the bush it seemed.

Chan pursed his lips and looked around him. All these boys had aided him when he had needed it most. It was not a question of owing them, it was a question of being one of them, belonging in a place he felt safe and comfortable. In the past few days, he had received more love and attention than he had received during the years at the hands of his father.

Minghao looked eagerly at him, his eyes and gaze very much like that of a dog's. An excited one at that. His curls framed his face and he looked quite innocent as he stared at Chan with his large, expressive, brown eyes. Jisoo tensed next to him, afraid and apprehensive of the outcome of his words.

It was very hard not to refuse, but Chan was still skeptical about the whole deal. He thought for a very long time, the inside of his cheeks suffering as he gnawed them vigorously, his brows furrowed in deep concentration.

It was with baited breath that everyone listened to the words that spilled from his red lips. "Yes. I want to be. A lot." He stumbled over the words that he had quietly rehearsed in his head, but all was forgotten once a loud yell of triumph rang out.

Chan's chest felt warm as everyone beamed at him, Seokmin even managing to crack a smile, his eyes on Seungkwan. Jisoo's body relaxed and Chan nuzzled into his sweater more, satisfied and ready to face whatever life was going to hit him with.

"I guess that means that we're going to have to buy you a bed," Jihoon spoke again, his face relaxed into a less scary mask than before. "I'll talk to Kogyeol about it tomorrow. Welcome to the club, kid." And with that Jihoon smiled and left the room, his small stature easily made up for by the fact that the room shook wherever he walked.

Soonyoung appeared shocked and held his chest dramatically, flinging his head back in exaggeration. "Oh my God, did Jihoon... just smile? My heart... can't... take it!" He ended the ridiculous fiasco by flopping comically onto the couch, his heart still holding his heart.

There were numerous giggles and Chan let out a peal of laughter because Soonyoung did look quite hilarious with his hair sticking up like that. It was true. Jihoon barely ever smiled, and having seen it appear, he wondered why he didn't smile more.

Soonyoung, satisfied with the reaction from his audience, immediately returned to Chan's side, ignoring the baleful looks Wonwoo was sending him quite pathetically. Chan, immediately catching on, shoved Soonyoung in his general direction and told him to stop abandoning his friend.

Soonyoung pretended to be quite put out and pouted, but was seen a few moments later laughing with Wonwoo about something on his phone. The irony.

Everyone soon began to filter in and out, Jun immediately going to the kitchen to cook dinner, followed by a faithful Jeonghan. Unaware of the apparent time, Chan was appalled to find out that another day had passed by, slipping through his fingers like grains of sand.

After seeing his disappointed face, Jisoo asked him what was wrong, his curiosity piqued.

Chan mussed up his hair and looked frustrated. "It just seems like every day has gone by just like that." He demonstrated by snapping his fingers rapidly. "I feel l-like I'm chasing after lost time." He buried himself further into Jisoo's chest and felt the chuckle coming from him in waves.

"That's understandable," he played with a strand of his hair lightly, "you've been badly beaten up and have just been searched like a criminal. It's only natural to feel tired and worm out. Tomorrow we'll do something productive, all right?" He ended the conversation by patting his head gently. "Don't worry about it."

He nodded and snuggled in closer, only to be rudely interrupted when Mingyu whacked Jisoo upside the head. "Yah! Joshua hyung! I still haven't hugged him yet! Stop hogging the new kid." 

Joshua smiled and held onto Chan tighter, his lips quirked playfully upwards into a smirk. "Guess you'll have to fight for it." He spoke placidly, looking carelessly at his nails.

All of a sudden Chan and Joshua were smothered by a large body and Chan found himself being dragged halfway across the room by a hyper Mingyu. Joshua raised his head from the floor and letting out a battle cry, chased after Mingyu. 

Mingyu weaved around couches and amidst cheers, Chan found him being breathlessly dragged around half of creation as Joshua chased after them, looking on the verge of killing Mingyu. How very unlike him.

Soonyoung had taken the opportunity to treat it like a baseball game and began to commentate like a professional. "And here we have the wild beast Joshua failing as he tries to grasp- Ladies and gentlemen I believe he has- Oh and he missed! He will feel that in the morning!" 

Chan laughed and got a stitch and began to whine to a tired-out Mingyu who merely wrapped his arms around him protectively as Joshua neared. He was tired surely, but Chan couldn't be happier. His eyes were brought and he sank into the embrace of Mingyu, his smile playful as he stuck his tongue out to his enemy.

"It seems Joshua has lost- Oh, wait a minute- All is not lost!" Soonyoung screeched, Wonwoo attempting to cover his mouth amidst a fit of giggles.

Joshua, out of nowhere, knocked Mingyu aside and snatched Chan up, his grin bright as he ruffled Chan's hair roughly. Chan spluttered and cast a woeful look towards Mingyu who looked dejected, like a kicked puppy. Soon enough, Chan saw it was an act as he set his gaze on Chan again.

Chan, taking matters into his own hands, bolted towards the kitchen, his feet pattering against the wooden floorboards. He dashed towards the kitchen and ran straight for Jun, hiding behind the perturbed boy's back and using his apron as a shield. 

"Save me, Jun!" He spoke gaily, "they're fighting over me." He pouted and gripped onto his short sleeve, peeking from behind his shoulder to see both Joshua and Mingyu circling him.

The end was near, adrenaline was pumping through his veins and he raced to Soonyoung and Wonwoo who immediately defended him from 'those evil boys' as Soonyoung so eloquently put it. He smiled breathlessly and felt happier than he had ever felt in his life.

And as he allowed the two ridiculously childish boys to hug him once, he felt his mood soar through the roof.

If this was what being loved and belonging felt like, life was just about to get that much better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I understand many of you will think Chan's reaction to everything as too placid, but he's based off of a lot of people I know. Good-naturedness can also be a character flaw.
> 
> I apologise for the long wait, but I've been busy. I'd like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all the comments. I love comments more than anything else and I'm so glad so many of you like it! Kudos are lovely too^^
> 
> I'm honoured to be recced on 17ficrecs on Tumblr and was so chuffed. Thank you all! Tell me what you thought!


	5. Chapter 5

If this was what being loved and belonging felt like, life was just about to get that much better.

—

Chan was sure he hadn't signed up for this kind of treatment.

It had been a few days since he had been officially made part of the group of boys and Jisoo had kept his promise in terms of how he spent his time. He had immediately started Chan on the gym ropes, saying that since they were burglars of a sort, he would need to improve his climbing abilities.

Chan wasn't complaining about that at all, in fact, he rather enjoyed the challenge and was proud when he reached the top on his first try. He liked to think that, despite his small size, he was strong both in mind and body. Jisoo had been impressed and Chan had tried to ignore the leap his heart did whenever he smiled at him.

Ever since he had been made an official part of them, everyone had most definitely been more friendly and open to emotion around him. Trust, Chan had learned, was an integral part of their lives. Without trust they had nothing between them. Without trust they couldn't continue being a group.

And they trusted him too, but Chan couldn't help but notice the way Mingyu would disappear at random intervals during the day. Whilst he was gone, no one spoke his name and everyone evaded Chan's eyes at the dinner table when he searched for him. 

He didn't mind. In fact, he was relieved. It meant that he wasn't the only one hiding secrets. As far as Chan was concerned, he would take it to his grave.

Every might before he went to bed, he wondered about his father and those scientists who had visited him. They were undoubtedly searching for him at this moment; he wasn't exactly an average mutant and he was precious for the likes of those scientists. Undoubtedly, they definitely wanted him badly enough for them to visit his house.

Having kept his promise, Jihoon had got him the bed as he had said. A boy with a ridiculously happy face had dropped it off, but had disappeared right after. He assumed it had been the Kogyeol Jihoon had spoken of. 

The real question had been where to place it. At first Chan had suggested that it be put into the corner of the den. For some reason, everyone had immediately protested with the excuse that they didn't want him to be alone. Everyone had argued until Jisoo stood up and said that since his room was the largest, it would only make sense to share.

Not being able to disagree with logic like that, everyone had immediately — albeit grudgingly — admitted defeat and soon Chan found himself sharing a room with Jisoo. It worked out well. He got along best with the kindhearted boy and Jisoo seemed to enjoy his company too.

The bed itself was a regal affair. It was made of dark maple wood and looked sturdy enough to withstand anything. The head board held carvings of bubbles. On one side they accumulated until they spread out and became sparsely on the other end. Chan couldn't help but marvel at it's intricate detail.

A mattress, pillows and bedsheets had been obtained, along with a pair of pyjamas, since Chan had none of his own to speak of. Seungkwan had also promised to go shopping someday with him, something Chan could not wait for. He hadn't been outside in a while.

His wounds and abrasions had healed rapidly with good food and constant vitamin taking. He could actually last a day without feeling sleepy halfway through the day. He took this as a sign that he was getting better and had thanked Jun profusely.

The poor boy, Jun, had still not got over what he had done to Chan a few days before. Every time he set his gaze on him, his eyes would tear up and he would apologise quietly again. Chan had forgiven him, and he hoped that Jun could get over it himself. He pitied the boy that had been strung into Jihoon's complicated plan.

Wonwoo was different. Wonwoo had taken his forgiveness and had acted like normal. It appeared that although he was affected by things like this at the time, he did not linger over his mistakes. Life was full of mistakes and it was a thing of the past.

Many of the boys acted carefully around him, like he was made of the finest china and a normal occurrence was an apology a day. Despite the fact that many of them hadn't known of the plan, there was the mysterious feeling that something had greatly influenced them into acting this way.

He had asked Jisoo, because as far as he knew, Jisoo would know. Jisoo knew everything. Jisoo had said that it wasn't something he wanted to discuss and said in no less words that it would be best to ask them collectively as a group.

"When you were out, Chan, you missed a lot of what went on. Along with that, you missed everyone's reaction," he had said, his eyes somewhat mournful and pained, his jaw clenched. "Sometimes there are things that are hard to explain."

Oh how Chan wished he knew what Jisoo was talking about! What had occurred that day for them to act this way? And why did they not want to speak about it, never mind apologise to him everything living moment of the day? What was there to get over? The more he thought about, the more the clenching in his stomach grew.

It was an accident that he overheard the conversation between Seungcheol and Wonwoo. They were standing in the long winding corridor that led to everyone's bedrooms on the upper floor. He had just gone to the bathroom and had happened to hear a snippet of their conversation.

Perhaps it was not a complete accident. He pressed himself to the wall around the corner from them and listened in to what they were saying curiously. They were not particularly hard to listen in to, for the corridor was silent.

"...it was strange, Seungcheol," Wonwoo appeared to sound distressed, with a tinge of worry. "There were-It was like static. There were blanks in his memory, hyung. Although I don't doubt his loyalty and character, it was strange. Not to mention the fact that it was harder to read his mind."

Seungcheol sounded thoughtful and replied. "What could that mean, Wonwoo?" The curiosity was clear in the tone of his voice.

It didn't take long for the mind reader to answer. "I asked Hwanhee hyung — you know he knows a lot of stuff about us — and he said that there were two possibilities," he sounded frustrated and began pacing. "One is that he can't remember. Like selective amnesia. The second one... it's scary." There was a deep, shaky intake of breath and he began again. "He has them hidden so far in the recesses of his mind, that even I, a mind reader, can't even reach them. So far back, that he mightn't even remember some things."

Seungcheol spoke, his voice giving away his puzzled thoughts. "Why-Is that a problem? And what do you mean 'scary'?"

Chan leant forward, wanting desperately to hear what Wonwoo had to say. His nails dug into his palms nervously, the pain making him focus on what they were saying. He heart had unintentionally begun to speed up and he held his breath.

"Because the only person who could do that was a sixty year old man who had been training for forty years to protect his mind!" Wonwoo practically yelled, his footsteps ceasing as he stopped pacing back and forth. "He's stronger than he looks, hyung. His mental strength is ridiculous. He's hiding things from us and from himself."

Chan's eyes widened, his breath caught in his throat. What could he mean? He had always thought that his lack of remembering certain events was because of his terrible memory skills. Certainly it was strange that he had forgotten the details of the day of his mother's death, but certainly nothing that unusual.

He felt disorientated. The world seemed far away from him and all he could think of was the fact that he may be missing important details of his life. It was strange; he was alive, but felt like half of him was a lie. Thoughts raced through his mind. Why was his life so complicated?

First it had been the fact that he had attained powers at such a young age, ripped from school at a sensitive age. Then... then his mother had died, the images still hazy in his mind. After that it had been that day. The day everything had seemed to fall apart. The day when he knew that he really was alone.

He was awoken from his mental breakdown when he heard Wonwoo speak again, his voice lower, but for some reason Chan could hear him.

"We're not alone, hyung." His words were sudden and unplanned. "Someone's listening in on us."

Seungcheol shuffled around and let out an exclamation. "Could it be...?" He didn't have time to finish when footsteps started heading in the direction of where Chan was hidden from sight.

It was futile and fruitless to escape without getting caught and Chan stayed where he was, his eyes staring ashamedly at the floor. A part of him knew that it wasn't any of his business, yet the other side thought the exact opposite. It was him they were speaking of. If anything, he had the right to know of what they were discussing about him. 

Just before Wonwoo turned the corner, Chan felt a hand grab his. When he looked around, he couldn't see anyone, but he could definitely feel a hand holding his own small hand, squeezing tightly. Just as he was about to open his mouth, he felt a hand cover his mouth and Wonwoo appeared.

Chan felt his eyes widen as Wonwoo looked straight through him, as though he could not see him. His eyes roamed over the area where Chan stood, his brow smoothing over as he yelled to Seungcheol, "it must have been Soonyoung, hyung! He can't keep his ears to himself most of the time. He won't say anything."

He walked away and Chan felt the hand around his mouth disappear. The hand was still grasping his tightly and he felt himself being dragged away by the invisible apparition towards the kitchen. There were no words from the person dragging him away, and Chan felt it better not to say anything until they were away from prying ears. How ironic!

Just as soon as they entered the empty and barren kitchen, he finally allowed himself to let out the breath he had been subconsciously holding in. Collapsing with shaky knees onto a bench, he placed a hand on his chest and tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. Instead of feeling panic like he had been expecting, he felt energised.

Maybe it was the fact that instead of blood that was coursing through his veins, it was pure adrenaline. He was in no real danger and although the idea of Wonwoo catching him out terrified him, he liked the risk and danger he had put himself into. Recklessness was not something he practiced often, but he couldn't say he didn't enjoy it.

He turned to search for the invisible being and instead found Seungkwan standing near him, the laughter in his eyes evident. Reaching a hand over, he mussed his ever out-of-control locks, laughter ringing throughout the room. 

"Surprise!" He flung his hands up in the air dramatically, proceeding to thump the still shocked Chan on the back non too-gently. "Bet you didn't expect that!"

Chan certainly did not expect that and he shook his head confusedly, as if to clear the fog in his head. "Y-You! I-Wonwoo couldn't..." His voice trailed off at the same time his eyes sparked with a revelation. Pointing at the boy before him, Chan let out a choked gasp, "y-you can turn invisible? What about-Wait! You can turn whatever you touch and yourself invisible?" 

Seungkwan was watching the excited-slash-nervous boy with a bemused expression playing his features. At the accusation he nodded, his expression filled with mirth at the younger's evident, uncontained excitement.

Placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, he spoke, "I thought it was about time you knew." He sat down by Chan, his expression serious. "I was thinking of showing you, but... never did." Chan cocked his head curiously at the hesitance in his voice. That wasn't like Seungkwan at all; sureness in his speech was always a given.

"I decided to tell you," Seungkwan bit his lip harshly, his facial expression growing harder to read, "but ended up bumping into that situation you got yourself into."

Chan, long since having calmed down from the previous excitement at the elder's serious face, opened his . "Don't misunderstand. It was my business to know what they were talking about."

Seungkwan, whose hand was still lying on his shoulder, patted his softly. "I wasn't going to ask." His eyes looked towards the doorway. "Everyone has their reasons for the decisions they make in life."

Always good at picking up on people's moods, Chan's ears perked at the melancholy in his voice. His hand slipped from his shoulder and Chan caught him wiping his face discreetly. He didn't say a word and let the boy clean himself up without embarrassing him. 

After a few minutes of silence, Chan stood up and offered his hand to Seungkwan, who looked at him curiously. "Let's bake something. Take our minds off stuff?" Chan flashed a smile and Seungkwan nodded, perking up a little at the suggestion.

On Chan's watch no one was going to be sad. It simply wasn't acceptable.

—

"You're telling me that you haven't had a haircut in 2 years?" Seungkwan's screech rang through the kitchen and Chan winced at the loud sound, his ear still uncomfortable with loud noises.

He was in the middle of crushing biscuits for the base of the cake and Seungkwan had been commenting on the subject of his long hair. In his opinion, it wasn't that long, but it definitely was almost touching his shoulders. Seungkwan seemed to think it was a travesty and spoke of giving him a haircut.

"It's not that long, hyung," Chan let the familiar word slip and he turned into stone as he realised the slip of his tongue. 

Before he could apologise, Seungkwan had hugged him briefly and had spoken under his breath something along the lines of how "cute and adorable" he apparently was.

"Dongsaeng!" Seungkwan spoke fondly, patting his head as if he had done a great deed. Soon, however, he began to speak of how he would employ Soonyoung to help cut his hair.

Sighing, Chan poured the mixture of cheesecake into the tin and placed it into the tray of hot water. "Really, when I said we were going to make something, I meant that you help me, not sample the mixture," he commented as Seungkwan guiltily withdrew his hand from the metal bowl, his eyes resembling a kicked puppy's.

"It's just so good!" He whined, following the serious boy as he placed it all in the oven. "And it tastes good because if I did help, something would blow up!"

Scoffing, Chan shut the oven door and set the timer. "That's virtually impossible, hyung. Now help me clean the mess." With his mouth set in a determined line, he began to clean the various dirty dishes.

"Meanie. Dongsaeng is so mean to me," Seungkwan pouted and letting out a resigned little huff as he took up a towel. 

Unbeknownst to Seungkwan, Chan smiled as his soapy hands along with the sponge lathered the dishes. His thoughts wandered as he cleaned the large wooden spoon, and Seungkwan's grumbling faded into the background as he pondered over what Wonwoo had said.

There must be a way to remember things he had shoved in the recesses of his mind. It bothered him a great deal and it almost made him feel like a large portion of his life was missing. Now he had more problems than he had bargained for; forgetting memories and hiding secrets were not exactly small things.

It was growing very hard for him. He had thought that once he left his father, it would be sunshine and rainbows. Now all he could think of were the men who were surely out to get him. He subconsciously strangled the sponge he held in his hand, suds sent flying in various directions.

Seungkwan, who had been in the middle of talking about Chan's imminent haircut, jerked to a stop when he felt a large amount of bubbles and suds land on his body. Spitting away the terrible flavour of soap, he turned to yell at the washing boy, only to look on in worry at the turmoil lining his features.

"Chan?" A hesitant hand went forward to grasp his shoulder and at the contact, Chan whirled around, eyes widened and his stance defensive. "Are you... all right?" 

His chest heaving with something more than just hurried breaths, Chan nodded a bit too hurriedly and Seungkwan looked unconvincingly at the jumpy teenager, his brows raised. Trying his very best to ignore the implications that he was making, Chan rushed to finish the rest of the dishes.

He couldn't leave the kitchen quickly enough and in an effort to escape from Seungkwan's questioning gaze, he ran into a hard chest. The brief contact with the fabric of the shirt was comforting, but that was soon forgotten when he felt himself propelling backwards.

With a sore head, he sat up and looked up to see the unfriendly face of Seokmin looming over him. Huffing a little at the lack of visible care, he stood up.

"Could you please look where you're going?" Seokmin crossed his arms and Chan felt like he was slowly being burned under his constant gaze. "Oh wait! You can't because you obviously can't see through that massive pile of deceit and lies!"

That hurt. It wasn't the way Seokmin said it, voice dripping with hatred and anger, but it was the truth in his words. He was right; he had so many lies that he kept from them all. It stung that much more because he didn't like Seokmin, but he was right. Right about what he said about him.

Meeting his gaze, Chan stood up, eyes still locked with his defiant stance. "I'm sorry." He spoke quietly, almost too quietly and Seokmin found himself leaning forward to be able to discern his words. "I'm sorry you hate me, I'm sorry I'm here and I'm sorry can't tell you the truth."

Seokmin's gaze faltered somewhat at his words. "Uh...I-I-" He cut himself off and began again. "Why can't you tell me the truth?" 

Chen hesitated, biting his lip methodically. Gulping, he licked his chapped lips. "The last person I told tried to sell me off for money."

Seokmin eyes widened and he held up his hands in a defensive pose. "I would never-"

"I'm not saying you would," Chan hastily butted in, "I just... I need time." He shuffled his feet and looked down, breaking eye contact. "Time to trust."

In that short amount of time, Chan found himself close to tearing up. All of his secrets were being bared open, like new wounds and he couldn't control what came out of his mouth. He knew he needed to keep his secrets as such, but he wanted to tell someone simultaneously. It was so hard to lie.

"Yah, Chan! I wasn't finished with you yet!" Seungkwan's voice grew near and Seokmin stiffened, much to his own personal amusement.

Seungkwan silhouette appeared in the dimly lit hallway and Chan met his worried orbs, like liquid pools of emotion. As much as Seungkwan often sounded lively, he appeared quite serious more often than not. It was a charm about him that he often wondered at. Very few people were like that.

A relieved sigh was let loose and Seungkwan sounded angry, "I wasn't through with talking to you yet Chan!" 

Meekly going to the seat Seungkwan had pointed at, Chan sat down, his eyes watery as they traced over the tile of the floor. Seokmin entered too, sitting inconspicuously on the nearby bench.

"You didn't answer my question, Chan." Seungkwan spoke sharply, his soft expression the opposite of his words.

"I wasn't aware I had to answer it."

"Don't be like that! We're all family, why can't you tell us anything?" At this point Seungkwan was pleading.

"Because I simply can't. I can't, hyung," Chan's vocal chords decided at that point to crack and Chan swallowed down the lump in his throat. He looked up, eyes begging, "no more. Please."

Seungkwan was about to protest when a soothing voice spoke from the doorway. "That's enough, Seungkwan."

Jun stood in the doorway, his face smooth and calm. He appeared unaffected by the fact that Seungkwan was practically opening and closing his mouth like a floundering fish and instead said, "you, of all people, should know how hard it is to tell secrets."

Appearing somewhat ashamed, Seungkwan mumbled an apology and with a red face, he stumbled out the door, followed hurriedly by Seokmin. If it had been other point in time, Chan would have laughed at the hilarity of it all, but now was really not the time. Seokmin was so whipped and he didn't even know it.

Jun moved from his position, bending down slightly to avoid hitting his head against the doorway. "Sorry about him." He avoided looking into Chan's eyes as he looked curiously at the spotless counter. "Did you..." He waved his hand over the general area, "clean up here?"

Standing up suddenly, Chan felt flustered and replied hastily. "I made a cheesecake with Seungkwan. I hope that's all right." He rubbed the back of his neck furiously, trying to blink away the imminent tears and he coughed, attempting to clear his throat.

"O-Of course. I just wondered."

He was about to go when Jun spoke again. "You know we all care about you."

It wasn't a question, no, for rather than being an inquiry, it was a statement. Jun spoke of it as if it were a fact. The fact that they all cared for him. Chan paused and turned to look quizzically at Jun, wondering where the boy was taking this conversation to. He was staring at the tile floor, but his eyes suddenly snapped up to look at him.

"T-That night, when Wonwoo looked through your mind..." Chan cautiously sat down again, his curiosity about that night piqued. The bench squeaked uncomfortably beneath him, as he situated himself comfortably. 

"We promised ourselves that we would never do it again. Never add another member again," Jun spoke dreamily, his eyes directed his way, but seeing past him. "Every time we heard the cries of pain, we kept promising and promising that we would never do it again." He chuckled lowly, "I guess we lied to ourselves."

"Wonwoo hates doing it too, you know. You mightn't believe it but he's a really good person. It used to affect him really badly, that is, until Mingyu told him that there are some things you can't carry around forever. That you have to move on and forget it." Jun paused, his bottom lip quivering as he started again.

"As for the rest of us, we try to forget, but fail to dislodge the images and sounds from our heads. After Hansol got in, we convinced ourselves that it was the end. Then we found you." Jun smiled softly, eyes focusing onto Chan. "We didn't want to admit to ourselves that our unspoken oath was never to pass. Jisoo didn't want to do it right away, so we waited."

By this time, Jun's eyes had begun to fill up with tears, and though they had not spilled quite yet, it was not long before they would. It was a precarious predicament, for his chin trembled and it seemed like some would soon slip down. He sniffed and ran a trembling hand through his hair.

"God! Jihoon wanted me to be the one to give you the sedative. I did it because I hoped beyond hope that maybe you'd sleep through it peacefully. Seungcheol was so pissed, because apparently Jihoon hadn't divulged the plans to him or anyone else." Jun's expression grew pained and Chan swallowed. "I was the accomplice. Jisoo was hopping mad and Seokmin was just about ready to thrash Jihoon."

Chan couldn't help but let himself smile a little. So Seokmin did care. Maybe he wasn't as cold and standoffish as he appeared or seemed to be. He couldn't help but revel in that nice piece of information. Maybe there was a chance for him to become close to his bench mate.

Jun, who had slowly been walking forward as he talked, started again, a single tear escaping and falling down his cheek. "Then when you started screaming and kicking... Jihoon made us pin you down. I was supposed to keep your head still, because there was a point where you arched up and thwacked your skull off the table. Then," he choked back a sob and covered his face with his hands, "you-it was like you had given up and you stopped moving. Oh G-God!"

The floodgates opened and Jun cried, holding his body together as if he were about to break from the sobs that wracked his body. Arms wrapped tightly around his chest, he made a mournful picture as he stood there, quivering like a leaf in a gale. His face was red and wet, the tears dripping down, cascading until a steady drop came off his chin where they gathered. 

Chan had been so wrong. He had thought that Jun could climb over the mountain by himself, but it appeared that he could not. As positive and happy as he appeared to be, he was the type of person who held it all in until it all bubbled over into a big mess. In many ways, he was like himself. 

He now understood when Jisoo said it had been hard to word. It was something that they didn't like doing, but had learned was something that simply had to be done. Almost like being a mutant. It wasn't something they didn't necessarily appreciate, but realised was something that was part of them.

Chan had never liked being the centre of attention and preferred being the comforting person on the sidelines. Taking one glance at the almost inconsolable Jun, he rose to his feet and approached the taller boy. He could smell the scent of vanilla emitting from him and found comfort in it's scent.

Wrapping his arms around his thin waist, Chan buried his face in his hoodie. Rubbing circles on his back, he shushed him comfortingly and squeezed tighter. The sobs still kept going without giving any signs of ceasing and Chan reached a hand to the back of his neck, pressing down the back of his head until it lay on his shoulder.

He patted his hair with his right hand, the other still resting on his spine, imprinting circles of comfort into his back. Jun was much too distraught to protest and so he stood, leaning forward to rest his hot forehead on Chan's pleasantly cold shirt. Striking up the courage, Chan began to run his small fingers through his brown locks. 

The sobs and shakes soon calmed down into the occasional sniff and hiccup and Jun closed his eyes, his breath in Chan's ear, ruffling his hair slightly. His arms were no longer around his own body, but encircled Chan in a needy embrace.

They were in that same position when Jeonghan entered, his face crinkled up unpleasantly at the distressing sight. Chan had merely inclined his head and let go of Jun, who was immediately held by a steady Jeonghan. Chan left them like that; it was no longer any of his business.

—

He really didn't deserve any of this.

He was currently trapped in a makeshift hair salon and he was terrified as to what Soonyoung and Seungkwan were cooking up with those evil grins. It seemed that it was inevitable to get a haircut, and even if was used to the length if hair he currently had, it was a bit long — not that he'd ever admit that around Seungkwan.

After leaving the kitchen, he had been pounced by Seungkwan who had taken him (correction: forcefully dragged him) to Soonyoung who was ready with a pair of scissors. He knew that his hair was doomed.

It hurt to think of how much of his hair would be lying on the floor when they were done with him — it was something he'd rather not think about. First, they had cut it until it was reaching the realm of normality, but when Chan heard the buzz of an electric razor, he knew his hair was in danger.

As he looked at it, he couldn't say he hated it. His hair appeared soft and he ran an experimental hand over the sides where they had used the razor to leave a mat of short, black hair. Besides feeling a bit lighter, he saw how the haircut appeared to give him a more defined jawline and made him seem a little bit harder to deal with.

"Well?" Soonyoung woke him up from his admiring musings. He smiled brightly, eyes crinkling until they were barely discernable slits.

"I... like it," Chan let out and sighed in relief when both Soonyoung and the original mastermind smoked happily. "It makes me look pretty cool."

"When in fact you are practically a child who needs to be protected." A new voice spoke and Chan swiveled his head around to see Jisoo, his face illuminated by his brilliant smile. "It suits you, Chan."

Seungkwan sent Chan a knowing look, who immediately blushed and hopped off the chair. "Thank you, hyung." 

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to practice some more. Maybe you'll be able to improve now that you can see-" Jisoo earned himself a resounding smack on the back of his head and chased after the fleeing Chan.

When they were both gone, Seungkwan piped up, "they are so cute."

Soonyoung smiled and looked after the retreating pair, his eyes masked by a hidden emotion. "Yeah," he spoke tightly, "I guess they are."

—

After an intense workout, Chan whined for Jisoo to give him a piggy back ride and immediately the kind boy knelt down, causing him to stutter that he didn't actually mean for him to do that. That was the story of how Chan, being the sweaty, dirty mess that he was, managed to get a piggy back ride.

When they got to the den, there was no one there and Chan allowed himself to be lowered into an armchair, his muscles like limp noodles as they flopped onto the cushions. He groaned and made himself cozy, eyes very close to fluttering shut.

A chuckle emitted from Jisoo as he squeezed himself into the same seat. "You did well, Chan. I might tell Seungcheol that you're about ready to go on your first job."

Letting a tired smile cover his face, Chan lay his sweaty head on Jisoo's shoulder. "I'm too tired to say thanks." He mumbled, lips brushing against the smooth fabric of Jisoo's shirt.

Jisoo chuckled again, a resounding rumble that reverberated against him soothingly, and he let his eyes slide shut, exhausted by the various things Jisoo had made him do. He heard Jisoo flick on the TV and marvelled at how warm he felt right now. He wasn't sure if it was the fact that Jisoo was like a hot water bottle, or the fact that his cheeks were bright red.

He heard the changing of many channels until he settled upon a new station. The delicious warmth stole over him and he smuggled closer to Jisoo, latching onto his arm. He was just about ready to fall asleep until he felt Jisoo stiffen.

Blearily opening his eyes, Chan was about to inquire as to why he was like that when he saw something that made his heart stop. His father was on television.

"...following the attack on the Blue House earlier today, normal citizens are growing afraid of the recent barrage of violence in their areas. This isn't the first time this has happened, when just last year the President of the US was held hostage by two mutants. World leaders have arranged to speak over this and discuss what is to be done. I have here with me one of the many protestors outside the Mutant Rights office. Tell me sir, what have you to say about this recent event?" The blonde girl spoke, her voice high in pitch and her evident disgust for mutants apparent in her words.

She held the microphone up to his father, who smiled falsely and spoke, his voice sending shivers down Chan's spine. Never did he imagine hearing that voice ever again. He looked up at Jisoo who sat stiffly, his jaw set in a grim line. Gulping and almost unable to get the saliva past the sudden dryness in his mouth, Chan turned to the screen.

"Well," his father said, voice booming in his ears, "all I can say is that it's about time they discussed this whole thing. It was a crazy idea that mutants could live like us. They're freaks. Worthless scum who deserve nothing life gives them. We give them the benefit of the doubt and look," he waved his hand over the general area, "what they've done. Those worthless animals aren't fit to roam the plant."

There were more words said after that, but Chan couldn't hear them. An unfamiliar rushing noise filled his ears and his breath picked up at the first words his father uttered.

Freak.

Scum.

He shook his head vigorously and tried to block out the images that rushed before his very eyes. No, no, no! He would not allow that fear to take over him. He thought that maybe he was getting better. That maybe all of it would go away once he left. He was so wrong.

Whimpering, he caught the attention of Jisoo, who immediately flicked the channel off and turned to look at him with concerned eyes. He grasped him by the face, warm palms enveloping him gently and Chan avoided his gaze, breath now coming out in panting gasps. 

"Chan," Jisoo spoke gently, yet his voice was authoritative, "look at me." Chan looked up, his watery eyes making contact with the dark chocolate orbs. "Just breathe in and out like me."

Chan copied him as best he could and once he caught his breath, he clutched to the front of Jisoo's shirt, fingers slipping weakly around the grounding being before him. His head slipped onto his chest and he listened to the pounding beats of his heart, beating harder than his face suggested.

"M-My dad, h-he-" Chan spoke shakily, his voice very close to breaking. He slumped onto Jisoo, his heart rate picking up at the mere image of his father.

"Ssshhh," Jisoo wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer. "You don't have to tell me, I guessed."

" B-But-"

"Never mind him, Chan," Jisoo's voice lilted, "I've got you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the exceedingly long wait! I've been sick, had a few family issues and honestly, life is a mess right now, but I'll definitely try to update sooner from now on! The amount of love and comments I have been getting are ridiculous and I can't thank any of you enough!
> 
> I have a [Tumblr](http://itisasign.tumblr.com) now if you guys want to leave me prompts that'll probably be posted as oneshots here or even if you just want to talk to me^^ (P.S. Hurt/Comfort prompts are life) (P.P.S. I am a fan of so many groups so it doesn't just have to be Seventeen prompts^^)


	6. Chapter 6

"What are we going to do, hyung?" Minghao sounded lost, and Chan could not but help but look up, eyes still teary, at his frightened expression.

Everyone else bore almost the same expression on each of their young faces. The only one who looked remotely less petrified was Jihoon, whose face was blank, almost like someone had passed a clean cloth over a filthy whiteboard. Their eyes were all fearful and Chan clutched tighter to Jisoo's arm, on edge due to the atmosphere, lip snagged between his teeth. 

Jisoo briefly turned his head to look at him, eyes caring as he ran a calming hand through his newly shorn hair. As his fingers ran against his scalp, Chan felt his cheeks heat up a little, the attention and care he was receiving from Jisoo making him feel shy and almost spoiled. It hadn't been a common thing for him to be treated so well. He leant his head on his shoulder and Jisoo moved his arm to a place around his waist, to keep him in that position comfortably without fear of slipping off the bench upon which they sat.

They were no longer in the den. The kitchen table was where everyone currently sat, for the situation was too serious to occur in a room of comfortable seats and a place where enjoyment was associated. Seungcheol had called them all to this room after Jisoo had informed him of the news. It was his word they all anticipated with shaky breaths. 

Seungcheol looked like he had been through a large blow dryer, his hair sticking up every which way. He was running a nervous hand through his dark locks and his face looked like it had aged in that brief amount of time. Chan could see the careworn lines on his forehead and wished he could take away some of that burden. He was the youngest however; it seemed there was almost nothing he could do to help.

"I-I don't know, Minghao." A finger rubbed at the creases imprinted on his forehead, then they seemed to ease up a little. "I know without a doubt that Jinwook knows by this time. We should probably go and discuss it at their place."

Everyone seemed to perk up at that piece of news and the atmosphere shifted to a lighter air. Chan raised his head, looking to Jisoo for an explanation, his expression resembling that of confusion and curiosity. He didn't realise just how close his face was to the other boy's until he came face to face with him, lips mere centimetres apart.

Jisoo merely smiled and mouthed, "I'll tell you later." With that, Chan lowered his head, cheeks heating up with the previous close proximity of their faces. He saw Seungkwan winking over at him and he lowered his lashes, ignoring the breathy laugh of the loud boy. Seungkwan knew too much for his own good.

"When are we going?" Minghao sounded excited, his eyes lighting up quite significantly and his curls bobbing back and forth.

"Who said all of us were going?" Seungcheol asked teasingly. There was a general outcry from everyone and the leader's mouth turned up, a sparkle returning to his once hollow eyes. "I forgot that all of you have to tag along every time."

His expression was quick to turn hard and serious at the expression of satisfaction on everyone's faces. "It's dangerous for us to be out at the moment. If you really want to go," he gave them all pointed looks, "I expect the utmost caution and safety. Everyone is to have a partner and I don't want anyone acting stupidly or rashly." His glare around the table caused many of them to lower their eyes and Chan was the only one whose eyes remained level with Seungcheol's as his eyes bore into him. Seungcheol seemed slightly perturbed by his lack of fear.

Seemingly satisfied with his lecture, his face moulded scarily quick into that of utter happiness. "Let's go. Go get your shoes and meet near the exit in five."

At those words, there was a scramble as the room quickly emptied, soon leaving Jisoo, Chan, Mingyu and Seungcheol as the only remaining occupants. Mingyu motioned for Seungcheol to come closer and soon they were having a whispered conversation near the sink.

Chan reluctantly lifted his head and groaned as Jisoo stood up to go. "Get up, Chan. The sooner we get there, the sooner you can sit down again."

"Don't wanna!" Chan sleepily retorted.

He took him by the hand and the half-awake boy was dragged towards their shared room. His feet stumbled unsurely behind the sure footsteps of the older boy, his hand gripping onto his fingers tightly. 

On entering their room, Chan flopped down on Joshua's bed and gathered the duvet in his grip, hugging it to his body. He hummed loudly, eyes closing shut again. A pair of hands grabbed him by the ankles suddenly and he scrabbled wildly for the duvet when he felt his body being dragged backwards. Quite soon he found himself completely and utterly awake, his body having thumped on the floor quite violently.

His eyes shot up accusingly at the laughing form of Jisoo and he crossed his arms, pouting at the betrayal. "Jisoo!"

"I don't see why you're so angry, Chan. Do you want to be left here alone?" At the hurried shaking of his head, Jisoo continued, bending his knees until they were at eye level with each other. "Put on the shoes Seungkwan gave you and then on the way over, I'll tell you about the people we're going to visit. Okay?" He placed a gentle hand on Chan's shoulder and Jisoo's gaze was so intense that he couldn't help but blush as he nodded.

—

Chan had always known that there was a way out of the place where they lived, but he was definitely not aware of where exactly that exit was. He was sure they hadn't told him for their safety in case he decided to sneak out and tell on them. One thing he was not aware of however, was the fact that it wasn't exactly a door which led to the outside world. It was a trapdoor.

Now that he thought about it, there really was no place else that suggested a front door to the outside world. It blended in almost seamlessly in with the rest of the roof of the main hallway, apart from the small notch on one side which, when pressed, folded out into a ladder silently. Not one creak was heard as it opened and Chan looked around at everyone, slightly shocked by the sudden appearance of the exit from the roof.

Seungcheol chuckled at his facial expression. "You should have seen how Hansol reacted. He almost passed out from the shock of it all!" Said boy had the grace to blush with embarrassment and appeared close to wanting to sink through the floor. 

Whilst looking around at them all, Chan noticed the lack of a certain tall boy. He could not help but be curious as to the disappearances of Mingyu every now and then. A part of him knew that however much they trusted him they had the right to keep secrets from them. He was keeping secrets from them and it made him feel less guilty with the knowledge that he wasn't the only one withholding information.

With that, Seungcheol headed up the stairs and Chan couldn't help but note the way he grimaced, his face trying its best not to fall apart. Jun was gripping onto his arm, aiding their leader up the steps and Jeonghan stood behind him as he went up, as if fearing he would fall back. Chan's eyes strayed to the ever increasing lumps on his upper back and wondered if they had anything to do with it. Those... growths only made him wonder what they were and what it meant for them.

Seungcheol stumbled and it almost seemed like he would fall, but Jeonghan's hair grew longer and proceeded to wrap itself around his waist. As soon as Seungcheol had seemed to make it, there was an audible sigh from everyone at his current safety. Jihoon was soon to follow, his face a mask of concern as he dashed up, probably to check Seungcheol's state.

Everyone went up one by one and soon Chan found himself to be the last one left. He looked up and saw Jisoo's encouraging face above, his hand beckoning him to come up. Gulping, Chan proceeded his ascent up the ladder, his palms sweaty at the thought of going outside. It felt like it had been so long ago since he had last felt the bracing night air whipping his pale cheeks. Now, he could feel a slight draft, and although it was cold, it was welcoming.

As he neared the top, he could feel the wind on his face as his newly shorn hair was swept along his forehead, the cool breeze wafting past his forehead. His eyes closed involuntarily and he smiled, his lips curling up at the corner and he embraced the pure, fresh air that was buffeting against his body. Sighing, he opened his eyes and made his way up to the top.

Jisoo's hand was within range and he reached for it, feeling the laughing eyes of almost everyone on him at their intimacy. He felt like burying himself six feet under and waiting until they had stopped. His eyes remained lowered and he tried to ignore the feelings that passed over him as he gripped onto his hand.

It was not a feeling he could describe briefly with one word. It was the feeling of happiness as he felt his soft palms in his, the feeling of dread if he were to let go, the want for the moment to remain in his memory forever. All these feelings clashed and turned into one, his entire body tingling at the brief contact.

At the exact moment his feet touched soil, Jisoo let go and Chan dropped his arm to his side, the warmth of his grasp still present. He tried to ignore the cold hand that gripped his heart as he saw Jisoo talking with Hansol quite seriously as they moved away from the entrance. He swallowed down the lump in his throat and felt quite pathetic standing aimlessly behind everyone else.

Jun, whose shoulders were the resting place for Jeonghan's arm, stretched out his hand and Chan watched in awe as the trapdoor was slammed shut by weeds and shifting dirt, which covered the door completely and made it invisible to the naked eye. Ivy curled over the door, weeds stretched out their stems and laid their heads down and flowers blossomed prettily. Stumbling a bit, Jun lowered his hand and turned to go.

It was not unusual for Chan to occasionally doubt his own self-worth, especially when it involved his abilities and his relationship with others. Standing still by the exit, he watched them in the waning light, all moving in time with each other, all seeming to be as one as they laughed and joked in the background of the setting sun. He still couldn't help but feel out of place — something he feared — and tried to repress the feeling of utter loneliness and emptiness. For now, the feeling lay low, though he knew not how long it would stay that way.

Self-pity was something Chan loathed, and so he curved his red lips up into a dazzling smile and ignored his heavy heart. His feet made their way hurriedly to the group of boys and he hoped that he could hide his emotions too, like how he hid his thoughts from Wonwoo. He didn't think he could live through a concerned Jisoo during this moment in time.

Jisoo was still having a serious and whispered conversation with Hansol, who appeared to be anxious about something or another. It seemed Jisoo was urging him about something, but that something was unknown to Chan. They finally seemed to reach a conclusion and Hansol slowed down to walk by Minghao. Jisoo, upon ending the conversation with the younger boy, found that Chan was the only one without a partner.

Trying his very best not to make it very obvious that he was over the moon, Chan smiled a little as Jisoo neared, his tall figure blocking out the sunlight for a brief period. He certainly made a striking figure; clean cut clothes and a handsome face only helped the vision he saw before him. When a hand was slung casually over his shoulder, he was awoken from his dreams quite suddenly when Jisoo began to speak.

"I promised I'd fill you in, didn't I? I mean," he glanced his free hand briefly over the large group, "about the whole thing with all of us going over to meet people you haven't even heard of before." He looked at Chan as if expecting a reply, almond eyes downturned to the boy before him.

He had certainly been puzzled, but he hadn't thought that it was on a need-to-know basis and had left the curiosities bury in the back of his mind. So, like the type of person he was, he nodded eagerly and tried not to let the feeling of Jisoo's body heat that close to him bother him.

"After I joined, Seungcheol had five of us to worry about. He knew that as we were, we couldn't really survive on our own. As it was, we barely had a place to stay. I knew Jinwook from the orphanage." Intrigued, Chan shyly turned his head to look at Jisoo, who was looking balefully at the road ahead of them, that grew more tumultuous on their feet as they walked.

"When I met him, I found out, by a complete accident, that he was in charge of a group of mutant boys. When I introduced him to Seungcheol, they didn't see eye to eye the second they met." He let out an exasperated sigh. "Jinwook believes that there are humans out there who are good people. Seungcheol doesn't. Long story short, somehow, they make the partnership work between the two groups."

Curiously, Chan couldn't help but turn his head and set an unflinching, innocent gaze upon Jisoo who cocked his head in confusion. "Do _you_ think that there are good humans out there?"

Treading carefully on the suddenly rocky terrain, Jisoo bit his lip. His eyes were furtive as they looked around to see if anyone was nearby, fringe hanging low over his brows. Without missing a beat he guided Chan up the rocky hill, and Chan suddenly realised that they weren't on the outskirts of the city anymore, but in a forest of trees. 

The fading light filtered through the leaves of the limbs, casting speckled patterns of light and dark on Jisoo's skin. He hadn't realised that Jisoo's hand was now gripping his upper arm gently, guiding him through the maze of seemingly endless trees. Eyes cast downwards, he tried to ignore Seungkwan's loud whispering to Jihoon about the two of them.

The crunch of crisp leaves beneath their feet and the rustle of the boughs above, were all little details that Chan could not help but ignore as he felt the warmth of Jisoo's fingers on his skin. He never felt so at peace in his life, like everything about all of this would be all right. As if they were not mutants.

Clearing his voice abruptly, Jisoo spoke in a quiet voice. "I believe that there are bad mutants and that there are good mutants, so in that way I believe the same about humans. It's almost the same about everything, really." He had leaned closer to Chan as he spoke, and the wind was not the only air that blew sweetly against his cheek.

"I agree." Chan's reply was not that great in length, but Jisoo seemed to appreciate the fact that he had told him; it meant that he was not alone in thinking those thoughts anymore. 

Chan felt the fingers curled around his arm tighten briefly and he could see Jisoo looked relieved. It wasn't until he looked ahead did he realise that they seemed to have arrived at their destination. He could not help the fact that his eyes grew wide and that he was sure his mouth was open like a fish out of water, for the sight in front of him was really quite something.

It was a house, white in colour and with beams of wood visible on the outside. That was the simplest way to put it. Ivy had long ago grown up and into every cranny, long tendrils stretching their fingers up to the uppermost windows as if reaching for something they would never grasp. Chan could see a face appear at a window, which disappeared as suddenly as it had made its appearance.

It was not in a glade, rather, it was in the middle of the forest, trees surrounding it completely. Near autumn, the leaves were painted brilliant golds, striking yellows and beautiful, rich reds that dotted the trees as well as the forest floor; one large, colourful carpet blanketing the otherwise dull earth below. It was perfectly lovely.

"We're here," Jisoo breathed.

Without having to even knock on the door, it opened and a familiar face popped out from behind. One could not so readily mistake the easy smile and crescent eyes of Jinhoo, the boy Chan recalled to have been very good and kind towards him once. Though what he was doing here was beyond Chan's comprehension.

"This is a surprise! Though I can't say I didn't think of it, Seungcheol, considering." His bright eyes met with Chan pleased expression and smiled even wider. "How are you, Chan?" Then at his confused expression, he spoke, "when I'm out and about, I'm called Jinhoo. Here I'm called Jinwook."

Feeling somewhat put out by the fact that no one had cared to tell him this major detail, Chan felt his face curl up involuntarily. Jinhoo — Jinwook — had that effect on people without even trying. There was something about him that made Chan feel safe, like there was nothing he needed to worry about or anything wrong with the world they lived in.

With that Chan nodded in assent and Jinwook welcomed them into the house before them. Walking in, it was immediately very apparent that a group of boys lived there. Not that there was a mess or the like, but it had a manly aura the second they stepped in. The faint scent of cologne drifted down the stairs and the shoes all consisted of runners or hiking boots, thrust painfully into very tight compartments in the wall.

A bright pink head appeared for a moment over the banister and disappeared only to be replaced by a small butterfly. If one had been paying as close attention as Chan had been, one would have noticed. It flew towards him and landed on his hand, which he had outstretched as it approached, its brilliant pink wings fluttering before it landed on his palm.

Chan's eyes lit up, for he loved animals and all small living things. Bringing the hand closer to his face, he peered at the delicate bug, eyes aglow at the sheer simplicity, yet beauty of this small being. If he hadn't been so entirely enthralled by this small creature, he would have noticed Jisoo standing back, brown eyes gazing at him fondly as he watched the smile he adored so much adorn the younger's lips. 

"Dongyeol, I'd appreciate it if you would please turn up in _human_ form." Jinwook spoke, speaking strictly, though a twinkle was visible on his eyes. "This is not a zoo."

Flying off into an empty space in the jammed corridor, the butterfly faded away in a split second and in its stead a pink-haired boy with a radiating smile and deep dimples made his appearance. Small, slim, black antennas had made themselves cosy amongst his hair and Chan supposed it was something he could not help.

"Hyung, we may as well be! I just wanted to be the first to see the new boy." He looked on with appraisal at Chan and nodded resolutely. "I like his face. In my book, anyone who treats animals well, treats any person well too." As his hair bounced back and forth, he spotted a pink, stained-glass pattern, reminiscent of a butterfly's wing on Dongyeol's forehead near the hairline, like a crown of royalty. 

There a brief silence and Seungcheol spoke up. "I'm sorry to break this conservation up, but I'd like if you, Sooil, Jihoon and I could talk somewhere private." His face grew serious and with the inclination of his head, Jinwook led the two of them towards the back of the house. Chan's smile dropped slightly at the missing cheery face of Jinwook. He wondered if that had anything to do with his power.

With the leaders' backs on them, Dongyeol suddenly grabbed him by the wrist. "I want you to meet someone!"

Without exactly giving Chan much time to answer, he proceeded to drag the somewhat reluctant Chan upstairs. He was talking quickly and Chan could barely catch a word he said, although he heard something along the lines of 'stars' and of someone called Gyujin. The stairs were carpeted and there was only the hollow sound of feet hitting step and looking behind him, he saw he had been abandoned by the rest of the group, who were all talking to a tall, blonde head of hair.

Finally at the top of the stairs, Chan was pulled into a bedroom and his arm was released. The walls were a pastel green and luminescent butterflies covered one side of the room. Three beds, one a single bed and the others consisting of a bunk bed filled the spacious room, along with a couch and a laptop squashed in a corner. A boy sat comfortably on the bed, his ears covered by a set of headphones. He looked up when they entered and slowly lowered the headphones until they were dangling around his neck.

"Who's that?" It didn't come across as rude, but as being genuinely curious and he sat up a bit.

Clearing his throat, Dongyeol spoke with an air of importance. "His name his Chan, the boy Jinwook hyung mentioned. Remember, Gyujin?"

"Oh."

At the sudden drop of his facial expression, Chan suddenly felt self-conscious. He gathered that although Jinwook undoubtedly had not clearly enunciated anything, he may have implied something. He pulled the sleeves of his shirt over his knuckles and looked away from the knowing eyes of the new boy, embarrassed that he knew of his past.

"Oh! The one with the force-field power?" The voice continued and Chan pulled his eyes back to see the boy — Gyujin — now standing. As he approached him, Chan stood still. 

A smile broke out on Gyujin's face and he placed a hand on his shoulder, eyes friendly and open. "I see you are a silver, Chan."

Confusion etched his features and he looked back at Dongyeol for help. He had no idea what 'a silver' was and he definitely had no idea what that had to do with anything. His feet shifted awkwardly beneath him, head lowered in embarrassment and Gyujin let out a breathy laugh.

"I see I forgot to mention that my power is discovering how powerful a specific mutant is," his hand reluctantly left his shoulder and he looked at Chan with interest. "You know, gold for top-class mutants, silver for second and bronze for third. Heaven knows, there's no shame in them. They aren't what is important."

"So I'm a... silver?" Chan questioned, head raised, suddenly interested in this piece of information. "How is that figured out?"

Gyujin invited him to sit and Dongyeol, who seemed to have heard it all before, excitedly pushed Chan into sitting, flopping down on the floor and looking up at Gyujin with puppy-like affection. Letting out a small smile at the boy's antics, Chan turned to Gyujin as he began to speak. He seemed very into his own power and very much a nerd about it.

"It's quite simple, really. I see all mutants with a medal above their head, as well as percentages for two sections: strength and resilience, which both take into account mental and physical capabilities. You," directing his gaze to Chan, "have exceedingly high mental strength and resilience, stronger than most mutants. The physical aspect, not so much." 

Gyujin seemed somewhat troubled about that revelation and seemed hesitant to continue, though Chan urged him. Dongyeol looked on with uncharacteristic worry; Gyujin never over exaggerated anything, so his face gave him no assurance.

"It-It means that, in a dire situation, your body will give out before your mind deems it quits. Your mind won't believe that it's enough and you might wear out your body until it's too late." Gyujin licked his dry lips as he continued to speak and realise how much danger Chan could be in, his eyes searching Dongyeol's for relief. "Just like Sooil." He muttered that last bit quietly, but Chan heard him and frowned.

Chan could tell that Gyujin was shaken and in what was meant to be reassurance, he spoke shyly. "I'm stronger than I look and I can look after myself."

"No, you can't. But we can help you look after yourself. You aren't just one person now, Chan. You're part of a team now and no one is left to fend for themselves during hard times."

Jisoo, who seemed to have been listening in on the conversation, stood up straight from his previous position, which was leaning against the door frame. Chan could barely stop himself from flushing as he neared and sat by him. "When we accepted you, Chan, it meant that you were _never_ going to be doing anything alone, ever." Taking his hand, which was fiddling with the harm of his shirt, he ceased the nervous habit and smiled. "Never."

Nodding and trying his very best not to let the tears that lay dormant flood forward at the sudden rush of affection and gratitude he felt for Jisoo, Chan bit his lip and sniffed discreetly. Dongyeol, sensing that the mood was dampened slightly, decided to change it immediately.

"Jisoo and Chan sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-" A hand was clamped over his mouth before he could continue and Gyujin bowed apologetically at the pair: Jisoo looking slightly perturbed and Chan looking like he wanted the sofa to eat him up. Eyes wide and indignant, Dongyeol pointed a finger at Gyujin and glaring comically, licked his palm.

"I can't believe you did that!" Gyujin ripped his hand away from his mouth and nursed his hand like he had been shot. "That's so unhygienic and disgusting." 

Sticking out his tongue, Dongyeol quipped, "then don't shut me up."

Gyujin made a move towards Dongyeol and with a very dignified, manly screech, Dongyeol fled from the room, Gyujin right at his heels. There was the distant sound of someone thumping down the stairs and a loud bark. Wincing, Chan laughed at the sound of the chase and Jisoo soon followed suit, pearly teeth visible.

Once they had finished, Jisoo squeezed the small hand below his and spoke again. "I meant it, Chan. You are not an outsider." He lifted his hand to brush the hair back from Chan's forehead, "and just because Wonwoo can't read your thoughts, it doesn't mean that I can't sense your feelings. You were practically radiating loneliness when we were walking over here." His hand cupped Chan's cheek and Chan looked at him with doe eyes. "I can't believe you tried to hide it from me. We all care about you, so don't hide anything from us."

Right at that moment, Chan almost wanted to spill his secrets to Jisoo. Almost. He still feared his reaction, and though Chan trusted him, he didn't want to be treated any differently than he was. Chan didn't know it yet, but Jisoo's reassurances sealed away any doubt he felt about being part of them. He might not have admitted it, but having been told that face-to-face, he felt better.

"T-Thank you, hyung," Chan said, letting the familiar word slip out. "Oh-I didn't... mean to." 

"You're welcome! I'm just wondering why you haven't called me that sooner." Jisoo smiled brightly, eyes crinkled into small smiles themselves and Chan blushed. 

With all their conversation resolved, Jisoo stood up and offered his hand to him. Taking the familiar, warm hand in his, Chan followed him down the stairs, their clad feet padding softly down the steps, in sync with one another. There was an untold spring in Chan's step, for his lack of confidence had been boosted by the ever-wonderful Jisoo. 

As they neared the first floor, there was the loud sound of chatter and raucous laughter. If meeting Gyujin and Dongyeol had been nerve-wracking, seeing twenty, teenage boys in one large room, seven of which he had not met yet, was certainly near a nervous breakdown.

Without even realising it, he shied away from the loud noise, closer to Jisoo than ever before, sides barely grazing. Sensing that he was somehow distraught by the loud noises and masses of people, Jisoo led him away from Soonyoung and a pretty boy with dyed, red hair, who were being thoroughly idiotic. He led him towards a quiet corner where Jinwook, a familiar head of blonde hair attached to a handsome face, Jun and of course, Jeonghan were residing on a large couch.

The blonde haired boy smiled and spoke, his deep voice unnaturally gentle. "I haven't met you, have I? I'm Sooil, co-leader of this crazy bunch," he waved a hand over the general area, "along with Jinwook."

"I-I'm Lee Chan." Chan uttered quietly and Sooil smile seemed to grow brighter as he motioned them to sit down.

Making himself comfortable, hand still linked with Jisoo's, he noted the close proximity of Sooil and Jinwook. Sooil was a strong presence and sat, legs slightly apart, arms lying across the back of sofa, whilst Jinwook leant on his arm which was curled comfortably about his shoulder. Where Jinwook was handsome, there was a delicacy in the way he moved, the manner in which he spoke and Sooil, handsome too, had a more manly aura about him. 

"I suppose you haven't met everyone yet?" Chan shook his head and Sooil continued. "You will meet them all in time, as I'm certain becoming acquainted with Gyujin and Dongyeol was scarring enough for one day."

Chan couldn't help but giggle at his words and nodded. "They certainly were." 

"Well," Sooil winced slightly and Chan could see the worry cover Jinwook's features, "I see you get along with Jisoo." His face held no malice or curiosity; it was more of a statement than anything and he bore a mysterious smile on his face. As he spoke, he moved and bandages that were previously hidden by the fabric of his shirt, became visible on his shoulder and collarbone. 

Seeing Chan's slightly shocked expression, Sooil answered his curious thoughts with ease. "My power is taking in other people's powers for a brief period of time. I was a stupid idiot and decided to take more than one and see how it went. Yein's fire went a little out of control and I got a little burnt. Nothing to worry about." Jinwook gave him a disbelieving look, slightly resembling annoyance and Sooil let out a deep, booming laugh, pinching his cheek playfully.

Chan looked around as he felt them being watched and saw a very slight, thin boy looking at Sooil apologetically, as if sorry for something. He assumed he was the Yein he spoke of and sent the pretty boy a smile of reassurance. He was sure it wasn't just his fault, though he knew the boy did not believe that one bit.

Dipping his head, Chan leant against Jisoo's shoulder, hands still linked, his head resting on the familiar softness of Jisoo's sweater. He was beginning to grow tired again and he gathered that his life, which had consisted of days inside doing nothing, now that it consisted of the actual meeting of people and moving around, it tired him out. And nights of nightmares did not help in any way.

He could hardly remember the last time he had had a normal life, his mother in with the mix of lost and fuzzy memories. Perhaps if he tried to remember, he would. The desire to be like everyone else, to know about the details of his mother's death and to fill the blanks in his memories, filled him and he could no longer ignore their call. And now seemed like the perfect time.

Shutting his eyes, he pursed his lips in concentration. Sounds of chatter faded into nothingness and the black abyss behind his eyelids became colours. The morbid snapshots of her death suddenly surfaced and he jolted his head sharply to the side as a sharp pain ran through his skull. Silver eyes, a loud scream, the flapping of wings and the muttered apology of a voice he recognised. 

The ache in his head grew and as he felt the memories plant themselves in his mind, he became more aware of the noise around him. Jisoo was gripping his hand tightly and he could feel himself being shaken, worried voices making their way into his ears. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes, turning his head into Jisoo's shirt at the bright lights hitting his unaccustomed eyes.

"-an! Chan!" Raising his head, he found Jinwook, kneeling before him on the floor, eyes filled with concern, hand on his knee. Jisoo's body was stiff and tense, which filled him with immediate shame and self-loathing.

Why had he felt that now was the time to delve into forgotten memories? He could have done it anywhere else by himself, in a way which would not have worried someone out of their mind and made him the centre of attention. Bowing his head, he felt the tears spill down his cheeks. He was so tired and so, so _sorry_ that he had bothered others and he felt the uncontrollable urge to cry. 

Jisoo's body moved next to him and he felt gentle hands wipe away his tears, a soft hushing noise trying its best to calm him down. Jinwook's voice arose in the fray and he listened to it attentively, amid hiccups.

He seemed to be speaking to Sooil. "Tell Seungcheol that I don't care what he says and that they're staying here overnight. I won't take no for an answer." Sooil chuckled and Jinwook continued speaking authoritatively, "and if he doesn't like it, tell him that I'm worried about Chan and that I want to watch him to make sure he's all right. I won't have any of his sensibility crap and Jihoon's lack of empathy."

"Do I tell him that last part?" Sooil sounded like he was trying very hard not to burst into laughter and replied cheekily. "Or do you want me to omit that part?" 

"Why you-" Jinwook was mysteriously silenced and the unmistakable voice of Seungkwan emerged.

"Cut the public displays of affection, you guys!"

—

An hour later saw Chan lying in the spacious sitting room, surrounded by blankets. Jinwook had spoken to him seriously after he had collected himself and had asked him if he had been having trouble sleeping. His eyes were so searching and worried that Chan couldn't help but spit out the truth of his nightly nightmares. Jisoo shifted around and Chan knew that he was piecing things together.

"You're tired, Chan. You haven't had time to recharge that low battery of yours and that's why you're finding it hard to stay awake, as well as control your emotions. Don't worry," Jinwook squeezed his knee softly, "I know what will help."

Chan sure hoped he did. Everyone in his group had been giggling immaturely a few minutes ago, but now it seemed everyone had settled down to falling asleep. Thankfully, no one seemed to snore loudly and only a few light snores were heard, Minghao probably being one of the main perpetrators. It was no secret that the boy snored.

Jisoo hadn't shown up yet and Chan wondered where he had gone off to. Sighing, he turned over, facing the sleeping face of Soonyoung, his blonde hair visible even in the darkness. Only now was his face serious, all the smile and laughter gone away as he slept. It was strange to him so serious and calm. Then again, seeing him remain still for more than a minute was truly a sight to see.

He thought back to the memories he had brought back. He knew no one who had silver eyes and undoubtedly the scream was his... late mother's. He shook himself. The chance to remember what really happened to his mother was something he had long searched for. If he learned of what happened to her, he would feel complete. He remembered the voice and as familiar as it sounded, he couldn't remember whose voice it was.

The padding of feet approached him and, leaving his thoughts, he turned his head to see the familiar outline of Jisoo with the help of a small nightlight in the corner of the room. Without a word, Jisoo got in with him, pulling the covers over himself. He lay down flat and turned his head in his direction

"Jinwook said that since you don't seem to have any trouble sleeping on the couch with me, it might work out if I lie down next to you," Jisoo didn't sound embarrassed, which Chan did feel, but he sounded hesitant, as if afraid of how he would react.

As a way of replying, Chan rolled over until he was facing him, his head resting on Jisoo's shoulder and his arms wrapped around his waist. Snuggling a little closer, he felt Jisoo's chest rumble as it usually did when he chuckled. God bless Jinwook and his idea of 'help'. An arm reached over and ruffled his hair, then settled on his shoulder. A few moments later, Chan's breathing had slowed down considerably enough for Jisoo to gather that he was asleep.

"So serious, yet so adorable. Although I spoke for everyone, I can promise that _I_ will never leave you." Jisoo whispered, fondling his short hair, before he too sank into a slumber.

When Chan awoke, he felt like a new person, for he did not feel the usual lethargy of a night misspent. Jisoo was not near him and he was quick to realise that he was the only one left in the room. He could smell the familiar yet foreign smell of bacon and eggs. Lord knows when was the last time he had partaken of such things.

Getting up, he headed in the direction of the smell and was first greeted by Sooil, whom he was beginning to like more and more. "Hey, sleepyhead," a large hand ruffled his hair and Chan could not help but notice how he held his other arm close by, bandages prevalent and face paler than he remembered it being. "Here's your plate."

"Good morning," he spoke quietly and hurriedly took the full plate, a wild thought crossing his mind.

Jisoo motioned a spot for him in the overly-crowded kitchen and Chan gratefully headed for it, noting that he was going to sit alongside Yein, who was following Sooil's every movement with a guilty and pained expression on his face. Sitting down, he patted him gently on the back and Yein abruptly turned to him in confusion.

"It's not your fault. These things heal faster than you think."

"If I hadn't encouraged-"

"I'm sure he doesn't want you to feel this way. However much this hurts him physically, he would hurt more at the thought of you blaming yourself," Chan turned to eat his food, the scent of bacon too strong to ignore anymore.

"Thank you," Yein returned to his untouched food with a happier expression on his face, but Chan felt worthless when he saw Sooil gripping the marble countertop, teeth gritted as Jinwook looked on in worry. It just wasn't fair.

His mind was made up.

—

They left soon after that. Hugs were passed all around and Yein having since taken a shine to Chan, hugged him for longer so he could whisper his thanks once more. He hugged Sooil last, and made sure to plant the palm of his hands on his back in an embrace.

"Easy, kid. I'm not invincible or unharmed." Sooil laughed easily at his affection. "I heard about what you said to Yein. I really appreciate what you did. He needed some convincing."

Letting go of him, Chan turned his gaze up to him. "D-Does your shoulder still hurt?" 

With an easy smile, Sooil reached over and ruffled his hair. "If you must know, it does hurt a little less. Hugs really do help and heal, don't they?"

"Mine do." Chan said assuredly, earning a low chuckle from Sooil once more.

After saying their final goodbyes, they went out the door and Chan, being ever the unlucky one, stumbled over the mat. Needless to say, Jisoo did not let go of his hand the whole way back and Chan was grateful, for fear he would fall again. The chatter was bright and hopeful, for Seungcheol had said that they had found a solution to their problems.

Chan was satisfied and happy with his visit and did not feel as tired as he was used to feeling. He ought to thank his nightmares, for he would never have slept by Jisoo if they had not existed. That funny thought surged through his mind and he looked ahead at the rest of the group. He was part of them. And he knew that now, for better or for worse.

As soon as they reached home again, Chan hurriedly went to the bathroom with the excuse that he really needed to go and ran the whole way. Once in the confines of the locked bathroom, he sank to the floor, tears pricking his eyes, teeth biting the inside of his cheek. Easing off the turtleneck he was wearing, he hissed as it was taken off. 

Footsteps neared and he tensed on the cold tile, feet splayed out before him. "Hurry up, Chan! The meeting will start in a second!"

"I'll be there in a sec!" He yelled back to Soonyoung, trying to leave the pain out of his words.

Pulling the shirt over his head, he covered up the large, red, blistery burn that ran along his shoulder and upper arm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the sinfully long wait for a new chapter. I know I get impatient when a fanfic I love takes a while to be updated *coughs* Keeper of Time *coughs* Golden Boys but authors do have lives and they try their best.
> 
> What do you think of the recent... developments in the story? I have many more plot twists and things like that to reveal as the story goes on. Just sayin'.
> 
> So I have 100+ kudos now? How? I still don't know, but I thank each and every one of you: the silent readers whom I appreciate, the kudo-givers(?) and the commenters. You're all wonderful people and I love all of you to bits. You help me strive to continue.
> 
> Message to bomulbox: your request is almost complete and can I just say I loved that prompt so much and read up on my ancient Irish folklore (again!) about mermen and stuff^^
> 
> If anyone wants to request a fanfic, you can request here even if you don't have an account^^
> 
> P.S. I'm making a playlist for this (playlists are life), so if you have any song suggestions (K-Pop or otherwise) let me know^^

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever work and I hope you guys enjoyed it! Feel free to comment and leave tips or anything at all as long as it's not hateful! I hope to update soon.


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